PAFA began an internal investigation as soon as it learned of the incident and “with clear evidence in hand” dismissed the employee, Eric G. Connell was removed from the school’s staff directory after the incident, but PAFA would not confirm he was the staff member involved or his employment status. The student is not named in the court documents, citing the sexual nature of the incident and “reasonable fear of severe harm” should her identity be disclosed.Ĭonnell hung up when reached by a reporter and hasn’t retained an attorney. The student’s lawsuit contends the incident, which took place March 14 in the student’s PAFA-assigned studio, has led the student to experience “severe emotional distress, extreme mental anguish, anxiety, chest pains, and shortness of breath.” The suit alleges that the school was negligent, failing to keep the student safe, and that PAFA and the staffer caused her distress and interfered with her ability to display her work in the manner of her choosing.įiled in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas this month, the suit names Steven Connell, who is identified as PAFA’s then-director of student life, as the man who took the photos. A Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts graduate student has filed a civil suit against the school and a staff member who allegedly took pictures of her personal nude photographs.