MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A group of four former Northmont City Schools students who claim to be victims of sexual abuse at the hands of a former bus driver is now suing the school district.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, four former students say they were groomed and sexually assaulted by Matthew Hunt over multiple years. Three accusers attended Northmont High School from 2012 to 2016, and one attended from 2021 to 2025.
The complaint names the district, former superintendent, Sarah Zatik, current superintendent, Anthony Thomas, and several unnamed present or former employees of the district employees whom the former students have not identified at this time.
TRENDING STORIES:
- ‘Victory for our community;’ Deputies seize $110K Porsche, motorcycle during investigation
- Ohio deputy facing charge connected with K-9’s death
- School district cancels Ohio high school football game over safety concerns
The complaint alleges that Northmont and Zatik failed to review Hunt’s personnel files from his previous employers, failed to contact his previous employers, and failed to conduct adequate background checks beyond basic criminal history before hiring him in 2012.
Documents previously obtained by News Center 7’s I-Team showed that the school districts Hunt previously worked for, including Vandalia-Butler City Schools and Eaton Community Schools, knew about complaints involving Hunt and students.
The Northmont students in the lawsuit allege that Hunt’s pattern of grooming began in 2013 when he “systematically targeted students through his role as Northmont’s marching band bus driver.”
“He identified vulnerable minors, cultivated relationships of trust and dependency, offered them employment at his business (Hunt Pipe Organ Services, LLC, formerly known as Hunt-Krewson Pipe Organ Service, LLC), and used this pretense to isolate students and facilitate private contact outside school oversight,” the complaint alleges.
From there, the complaint alleges that Hunt sexually assaulted students at various locations, including his own residences in Lewisburg and Brookville and various area churches.
Zatik is accused of failing to implement “basic protective policies” during her time as superintendent.
The complaint also alleges that Thomas received a detailed email describing Hunt’s pattern of grooming students in October 2021 and failed to investigate or remove Hunt from student contact.
The district is also accused of failing to investigate multiple calls made by one woman over three years regarding allegations of Hunt sexually assaulting students.
“Just four days before his arrest, despite Northmont officials having actual knowledge of sexual abuse allegations, Hunt drugged and raped (one plaintiff),” the complaint states.
As News Center 7 previously reported, Hunt was arrested in May at Northmont High School. He’s now facing 17 counts of rape, 64 counts of sexual battery, and one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
News Center 7 reached out to the district for a statement on the lawsuit. A spokesperson told us, “The School District has not yet been served with the Complaint. Our practice is not to comment publicly about pending litigation.”
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
