A lawsuit alleging an elite Brooklyn prep school covered up decades of sexual abuse by a former football coach can proceed, a federal judge said in a ruling that plaintiffs hailed as a major victory in the closely watched case. The lawsuit was brought against Poly Prep Country Day School by 10 former students and two men who attended the school's summer camp.

The plaintiffs said the school and several former and current administrators and directors swept reports of the abuse under the rug for years to protect the school's reputation. The school denied that it covered up allegations of abuse. U.S. District Judge Frederic Block allowed Title IX claims and state-law claims for negligent retention or supervision and breach of fiduciary duty to move forward, despite the school's argument that these claims were barred by the statute of limitations.

Pillsbury attorneys Edward Flanders, Kimberly Buffington and John Fedun represented the plaintiffs.