Hamden Hall Sued After Teacher Allegedly Groomed And Sexually Abused A Teen Student

Parents sue Hamden Hall over alleged grooming and sexual abuse

Hamden Hall Country Day School is facing a lawsuit from a teenage girl and her parents who say school officials failed to protect her from a teacher’s escalating sexual misconduct. The complaint, filed in Connecticut Superior Court in New Haven, names 59-year-old Stephen A. Listro and alleges a pattern of grooming that began in spring 2024.

The plaintiff was 16 when police opened an investigation in early April 2025, court records show. Listro now faces criminal counts that include second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Details in the lawsuit

The complaint lays out a series of alleged actions by Listro – exchanging emails and texts with the student, giving her gifts like earrings, writing intimate notes and spending what the suit calls "excessive amounts of time" alone with her in his classroom, hallways and at lunch. The lawsuit says those interactions isolated the student from peers and family while cultivating an emotional dependency.

According to the filing, sexual contact escalated from November 2024 through March 2025 and included kissing, fondling, groping, digital penetration, oral sex and the teacher allegedly encouraging the minor to send sexual photographs and explicit texts. The complaint says the contact happened at multiple campus locations, in Listro’s classroom, hallways and in his vehicle, and that staff allowed him to leave school grounds with the girl during school hours.

School staff saw warning signs, suit says

The lawsuit claims school employees observed Listro engaging in "inappropriate and unusual conduct" with the girl on campus but failed to report or act on their observations. It accuses Hamden Hall of neglecting its duty to provide a safe environment, ignoring staff concerns about the relationship and not adequately supervising Listro.

The complaint also alleges the school hired Listro without an adequate background check and says the victim has suffered significant emotional harm – including disrupted sleep and appetite, isolation, mistrust and self-blame – as a result of the school’s negligence. The family is seeking standard damages of more than $15,000.

Criminal investigation and evidence

Police documents add further detail. A forensic interview arranged by Hamden police says the student first met Listro when he was her ninth-grade algebra teacher and began visiting him often because she enjoyed talking to him about books, religion and music. She told investigators that kissing started in November 2024 and continued on school grounds and at a nearby park, the arrest warrant says.

Investigators say the contact later included oral sex in Listro’s car in the Miller Memorial Library parking lot. Police seized electronic devices from Listro’s home, including a phone registered to his 7-year-old daughter that he reportedly used to communicate with the teenager. Authorities say photos on that device included 24 images of the student in her underwear.

School response and internal review

Head of School Bob Izzo acknowledged the school was made aware last year of the arrest of a former employee after allegations of misconduct by a former student and said the matter was investigated during the 2024-2025 school year. Izzo said the administration took immediate action and followed school protocols, and that safety and emergency policies are continually reviewed to safeguard students.

“We take these allegations seriously and acted when notified; keeping students safe remains our highest priority,” Izzo said in a statement.

The arrest warrant also says Izzo reported concerns about Listro to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families in early April last year after multiple students reported the girl had an "unhealthy emotional" connection to the teacher. Listro was placed on administrative leave when the allegations surfaced, though his current employment status was unclear.

Attorney and next steps

Michael Kennedy, lawyer for the plaintiff, confirmed the girl is a former Hamden Hall student but declined further comment on the lawsuit. Court records show Listro faces criminal charges and the civil complaint is moving forward in state Superior Court in New Haven.

The lawsuit asks the court to hold the school accountable for what the family describes as failures that allowed the relationship and the sexual contact to continue. As the criminal case proceeds, the civil action will seek to establish whether Hamden Hall’s policies and responses met their obligations to protect students.