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More lawsuits allege sex abuse by former Downers Grove North band director

Two new lawsuits accusing a former longtime band director at Downers Grove North High School of sexual abuse have been filed in DuPage County.

Community Unit District 99 also is named in both suits, which accuse it of failing to protect the two students involved.

According to both lawsuits, William Miller participated in "sexually abusive and sexually inappropriate" interactions with the girls from 2002 through 2006, "including but not limited to explicit sexual interactions through personalized web camera interactions, internet messenger interactions and email."

Miller joined the district in 1995, was placed on administrative leave in mid-November 2017 and resigned in December after another former female student alleged on Facebook that the teacher had "taken advantage of" her and other female students during a 16-year span, including the late 1990s.

The allegations concerned inappropriate behavior and lewd, suggestive comments, and Downers Grove police opened an investigation.

Police did not immediately return a message Friday seeking an update on their probe.

No charges have been filed against Miller in DuPage County.

An earlier lawsuit was filed against District 99 alleging Miller "engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with female DGN students" from 1996 to 2000.

That lawsuit, whose plaintiff is listed as Jane Doe, alleges Miller "provided alcohol to minor female DGN students ... in furtherance of his engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior."

The initial lawsuit, like the two more recent ones, alleges school officials "received complaints about Miller's inappropriate and/or suspicious interactions with students."

District spokeswoman Jill Browning said district officials were out of the office Friday and she would not be able to address the latest complaints until Monday.

Both victims in the newest lawsuits are now adults, but their attorney, Scott Rudin, said he will be in court Monday to argue motions to allow them to be called Jane Doe and Jane Roe for the purposes of the lawsuits.

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