When Hilary Simon was 14, her parents sent her to an all-girls boarding school in the Berkshires to keep her safe. Instead, she was groomed and abused by a history teacher who had been doing it for over a decade before she arrived — and would continue for years after. The school knew. Other students reported it. A girl was expelled for speaking up. Nothing changed.
In this episode, Hilary sits down with Erica Brinker to tell the full story — the grooming, the silence, the fawning response that shaped her survival, the therapist who abused her when she finally tried to get help, and the phone call 20 years later that changed everything. She and fellow survivor Melissa Ferris brought criminal charges, went public in Vanity Fair and are now fighting to close a legal loophole in Massachusetts that still allows teachers to claim a student consented.
Plus: what the courtroom felt like, the trauma response nobody talks about, and a toast to burning it all down.
If you or someone you know needs support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or Text 988
","author_name":"Erica Brinker"}