Even though William Arthur Keely’s been dead for nearly 10 months, the specter of the sexual things he allegedly did to an Oxford High School student while she was a minor continues to haunt the school district.
On Feb. 5, the victim, now an 18-year-old OHS senior, filed a civil lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court against Keely’s estate, his widow and former OHS teacher Margaret Keely, and the school district.
‘We don’t have a set dollar amount at this point. It’s very early in the process,? said Thomas Economy, the victim’s Southfield-based attorney. ‘We obviously think it’s a seven-figure case. She’s been through a terrible, terrible time. What happened to her was a terrible, terrible thing.?
Part of the lawsuit accuses the school district of vicarious liability and negligence in hiring and supervising Margaret Keely through whom the victim met and developed a personal relationship William Keely.
Economy believes the school district bears responsibility in this case because he claims that prior to William Keely’s alleged molestation of his client, district officials and employees knew he had been convicted in 2002 of second-degree criminal sexual conduct (four counts) involving his 14-year-old foster daughter and placed on the state’s sex offender registry.
‘We believe that they knew about Mr. Keely’s past and we believe that the administration and the teachers knew that our client was spending time at the Keely’s home,? he said. ‘Given those two facts, they had a duty to step in and protect this girl and they failed her.?
‘They knew that this teacher was befriending, in my eyes, a child, and they knew about her husband’s past,? Economy continued. ‘They did nothing to put an end to this relationship, warn the parents, nothing like that.?
Because it’s pending litigation, Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling was unable to comment. But he did note, ‘We’re insured for this type of a lawsuit.?
Skilling referred questions to the district’s attorney in this matter, Tim Mullins, whose office is located in Troy.
‘All the evidence would suggest that the school was entirely unaware of Ms. Keely or her husband’s activities,? Mullins said.
Mullins indicated that Margaret Keely’s actions weren’t committed as part of ‘the course of her employment.?
‘It was entirely, if you will, things done at the home that were private and outside the scope of her employment (and) certainly without the knowledge or any kind of approval of the school district,? he said.
‘The lawsuit that was filed says because she worked for the school district, the school district is liable for what she did. The fancy word for that is called respondeat superior,? Mullins continued. ‘I can say there is no theory of simple respondeat superior that makes the school district liable for (the) improper activity she did or criminal activity that her husband did just because she happened to be employed by the school district.?
As for the lawsuit’s claim that the school district was negligent in hiring and supervising Margaret Keely, Mullins said, ‘My understanding is she worked for the school district for many, many, many years ? long before there were any problems with her husband.?
Margaret Keely, who now lives in Portage, Michigan with an unlisted telephone number, worked for the district from August 1984 until her termination in September 2008. Her actual last day of work was June 13, 2008.
Economy said Margaret Keely also bears responsibility for exposing his client to her husband and then not protecting her.
‘I think the testimony in the case is going to show that Margaret Keely was very well aware of what was going on and was conveniently looking the other way,? he said. ‘At various times, our client cried out for help to her. She told her not to leave her alone with Mr. Keely and Mrs. Keely ignored that request.
‘There were various times, key points we think, throughout this whole process, where Mrs. Keely, if she didn’t know, she should have known what was going on. But we feel that she did know what was going on.?
William Keely committed suicide in an Oakland County Jail cell on April 27, 2009 while awaiting trial on a whole laundry list of charges including three counts of child sexual abusive activity and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Margaret Keely was charged with failure to report child abuse, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.
However, the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office dropped the charge in June 2009 because the facts of the case didn’t correspond to the state statute Margaret Keely was charged under.
It was during the 2006-07 school year, when the victim was a freshman, that William Keely first met the teen through his wife, who was employed as a special education teacher at OHS. The victim was not one of her students.
The Keelys and the victim developed a personal relationship over the next two years, which included overnight trips to Boise Blanc Island and Colorado. They also paid the victim to perform odd jobs around their Brandon Township home.
According to the lawsuit, the relationship between the victim and William Keely eventually took on a sexual nature.
It started with him allegedly spanking her as she laid on a bed with her pants removed. This was supposedly ‘punishment? for not doing well in school.
From there, it escalated, according to the lawsuit.
In April 2008, William Keely allegedly offered her $100 per session to test and evaluate sex toys at his home. The victim participated in ‘several sessions,? according to court documents.
William Keely also allegedly showed pornographic DVDs, magazines and websites to the victim at his home.
Then, on June 25-26, 2008, William Keely alleged sexually molested the victim on two separate occasions, both at his home.
During the second incident, he allegedly ‘held her down? and touched her, despite the fact the victim ‘repeatedly asked (him) to stop,? according to the lawsuit.
These last two incidents led to Keely’s arrest and incarceration until his death.