Settlement reached in sex-abuse suit against Montessori

By TED SULLIVAN Chronicle Staff Writer

Two parents who claimed their daughter and other young girls were inappropriately touched at the former Goodfriend Montessori School settled their lawsuit out of court Wednesday for an undisclosed amount of money.

Robert Zager and Juliann McGarry filed suit against Goodfriend Montessori Inc., former owners Edward and Barbara Goodfriend, and former employees Nancy McNabb and Sarah Greenshields, on behalf of their young daughter, according to the lawsuit.

The parents filed the civil suit to seek justice for what happened to their daughter, Bozeman attorney Mike Cok said. They settled the case to avoid dragging their child through a potentially embarrassing trial.

“They weren't going to let injustice go unpunished or uncompensated,” Cok said.

Bill Mattix, a Billings attorney who represented the school and its insurance company, declined to comment on the settlement.

According to the lawsuit, the parents alleged that Edward Goodfriend, the former owner and woodworking teacher at the school on Cobb Hill Road, inappropriately touched several students.

The school then hid the accusations from other parents of children at the school and allowed Goodfriend to be unsupervised with students, further endangering more children, according to the lawsuit.

Goodfriend has never been charged with any crimes related to the sexual assault allegation, according to court records.

However, the Gallatin County Attorney's Office agreed to defer criminal prosecution of Goodfriend for three years in exchange for his agreement to not have contact with children or go near a school, the lawsuit stated.

Goodfriend's criminal attorney, Chuck Watson, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Watson has previously denied the parents' allegations and said it was a misunderstanding about what constitutes an appropriate touch versus a sexual touch.

On Jan. 12, 2005, five female students, ages 7 and 8, told a teacher at the school that Goodfriend had touched them inappropriately, making them feel uncomfortable, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Gallatin County District Court.

The teacher reported the behavior to another instructor and a member of the school's administrative team, the suit says. In response, the school investigated the alleged incident, interviewed the girls, their parents, Goodfriend and other school employees.

However, other parents of children at the school were unaware of the allegations or investigation, the lawsuit stated.

A year later, more children, including Zager and McGarry's daughter, began telling their parents that Goodfriend was touching students while inside the wood shop, according to the lawsuit.

At that time, parents who had children in the school were told of the allegations against Goodfriend, the lawsuit stated, and Goodfriend left the school.

The lawsuit accused the defendants of deceit, fraud, unfair trade practices, negligence and sexual assault.

Goodfriend Montessori had students ranging in age from 18 months to 12 years. The school remains open under the name Middle Creek Montessori, the lawsuit stated.

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