Posted: Dec 20, 2014 5:30 AM
Updated: Jan 10, 2015 5:30 AM
BELGRADE –
A German exchange student claims his Belgrade host parent sexually abused him.
His case takes a step forward just days after a jury handed down a guilty verdict for Markus Kaarma, the man who shot and killed another foreign exchange student from Germany, Diren Dede.
The student filed the suit in Montana federal courts against International Student Exchange (ISE), one of the world’s largest exchange companies, saying the company should be held responsible for placing him with a Belgrade host parent who later sexually abused him in 2011.
His Belgrade host father is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
According to court documents, the student was 16 on December 23, 2011 when he experienced the abuse and reported it immediately to ISE. He left the country four days later.
Attorneys for the host father say the student fabricated these claims because he was unhappy in Montana and wanted to return to Germany.
The student is now being represented by the Missoula-based firm of Milt Datsopoulos. A pretrial conference is set for January 21.
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $6 million.
Foreign student exchange 