A Dartmouth man is being sued for allegedly sexually abusing a student during his time as a private school teacher in western Massachusetts.

Peter Hindle, a retired faculty member at the Deerfield Academy boarding school, is being sued by a man from New York who attended the school from 1984 to 1987. According to court documents, Hindle committed “explicit sexual behavior and lewd and lascivious conduct” with the then 16-year-old in the student’s dorm room in 1986.

According to court documents, the plaintiff suffers from “severe emotional distress and physical harm” as a result of Hindle’s alleged actions, including but not limited to sadness, crying, depression, anxiety, anger, and flashbacks.

Boston-based attorney and representative for the plaintiff, Mitchell Garabedian said this lawsuit is the fourth student he has represented involving Hindle. The allegations in all four cases range from 1974 to 1989, with students being 14-16 years old at the time, and are now between the ages of 43-56.

Hindle worked at the school as a teacher, coach, and dormitory master at the school from 1956 to 2000.

Garabedian said that the statute of limitations has expired, which means the case can only be pursued in civil court, as opposed to criminal court. He added that it is not uncommon for victims of sexual abuse to come forward only when their coping skills allow them to, which can take several decades.

The lawsuit also lists an as-yet unidentified supervisor at the boarding school as a defendant. It alleges that the supervisor was negligent in their hiring, direction, retention and supervision of Hindle.

Hindle declined comment about the lawsuits.