11-year-old girl sexually abused 6-year-old at elite Las Vegas private school camp, family says in lawsuit

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A family has filed a lawsuit against a Las Vegas private school alleging their daughter was sexually abused by another child in a restroom at camp.

The parents of “Jane Doe” claim there was a lack of supervision followed by a cover-up at The Adelson School when an 11-year-old girl sexually abused their 6-year-old daughter in a bathroom stall on July 3, 2025, according to a civil complaint.

The parents learned the “horrifying truth about what happened” to their child over a month later when “she confessed she was terrified to return to the Adelson School, revealing that the older girl had removed her dress, pushed her, and inappropriately touched her private area,” the complaint states. “By failing to communicate the basic facts of the assault when it happened, The Adelson School forced a six-year-old to carry the burden of this severe trauma alone for weeks.”

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Camp counselors sat in a gymnasium playing cards when the 11-year-old cornered the 6-year-old in a bathroom stall, undressed her, and sexually assaulted her, according to the 29-page complaint filed in Clark County District Court by Christian Morris Trial Attorneys on March 19.

The parents allege that a counselor entered the restroom during the assault, noticed a small child not fully clothed and the feet of the other child standing directly in front of her in the same stall, and instead of immediately intervening, left the restroom to summon additional staff. Staff did not comfort the alleged victim, the complaint states.

The parents claim the school failed to notify them of the danger their child had been exposed to, and that they were only told an ‘incident’ had occurred in the bathroom while other details were omitted.

“Instead of protecting their six-year-old student, Adelson administrators embarked on a campaign of minimization, concealment, and retaliations to shield the school from liability,” the complaint states.

The parents claim that when they contacted the summer camp director to verify that no serious event had occurred since their daughter was exhibiting concerning behavioral changes, “the summer camp director dismissed their inquiries, providing only vague assurances that the situation was ‘handled.’”

“Instead, they raised their voices at her and questioned her — treating her as if she were to blame rather than a child who had just been sexually assaulted,” according to the complaint.

The Adelson School staff held a meeting with the child and her mother on Aug. 11, 2025, the first day of school, the complaint says.

As staff interviewed the child, she stated “that the older camper squeezed her into a stall, explicitly instructed her not to tell the teachers, touched her on her shoulder and in her private parts, pushed her, asked her to sit on her lap and warned” the child that her mother would be angry with the older camper, according to the complaint. “This account further corroborated that the assault involved nonconsensual touching of intimate areas and intentional concealment.”

Adelson administrators told the alleged victim’s mother that they were obligated to notify Child Protective Services, “underscoring that a COS report should have been made immediately when the incident occurred,” the complaint states.

The 11-year-old was not immediately removed from the school campus. The school began to collect information about the alleged victim and her prior behaviors and focused on questioning her credibility, the parents allege.

The alleged victim no longer attends The Adelson School.

The family is suing for negligence, negligent hiring, training, retention, and supervision, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent misrepresentation.

The Adelson School is an early childhood through grade 12 Jewish day school founded by Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson located in the Summerlin area. Tuition starts at more than $23,000 for preschool and more than $32,000 for high school.

In a statement to 8 News Now, Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, the head of school, said the claims are unsubstantiated.

“The Adelson School takes all allegations of this nature extremely seriously. The health and safety of our students and staff is always our highest priority.

“Upon learning of these allegations, our Head of School promptly initiated an internal investigation and notified Clark County Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS conducted its own investigation and referred the matter to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Metro), which also investigated. Following completion of these three separate investigations — by the school, CPS, and Metro — no evidence was found to substantiate the allegations.

“The Adelson School remains committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all members of our school community.”

To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@8newsnow.com.

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