WOBURN — The former Hudson middle school teacher who is accused of sexually assaulting a former student will get a new trial, according to a spokesperson from the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.
The spokesperson confirmed in a text message that Caitlin Harding, whose previous trial ended after a hung jury, will be retried in Middlesex County Superior Court.
Judge Laurence D. Pierce declared a mistrial in the case on June 13 after jurors couldn't agree on a verdict. Harding faced 10 charges, including aggravated rape of a child; rape of a child with force; and indecent assault of a child.
Charges stem from when Harding taught at the now-closed JFK Middle School in Hudson. She is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 13-year-old seventh-grade student multiple times over several months in 2010. Harding was the girl's teacher, and left the school district on her own in 2013 to become a teacher in Needham until 2017.
Earlier:Judge declares mistrial in sex assault case against former Hudson middle school teacher
Harding was indicted in 2021, and pleaded not guilty in Middlesex Superior Court. She was released on her own recognizance, but ordered to not have unsupervised contact with children younger than 18 and to not work or volunteer with children.
Harding's attorneys, Brad Bailey and Patrick Garrity, of Boston-based Brad Bailey Law, could not be reached for comment.
Former student files civil lawsuit against teacher
In addition to the criminal charges, Harding also faces a civil lawsuit. The former student, now a grown woman, previously filed the suit in Norfolk County Superior Court in 2021. The case has been moved to U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
In the civil suit, the woman alleges that when she was a student at the middle school, Harding engaged in inappropriate behavior, including showing affection toward her and sharing personal emails.
'Plaintiff has suffered':Civil suit filed against ex-Hudson teacher charged with raping student
During the 2009-10 school year, Harding began giving the student rides to places and exchanged text messages in which she told the girl she "wanted and loved" her, according to the lawsuit.
In 2010, when the woman was 13 years old, Harding "engaged in explicit sexual behavior and lewd and lascivious behavior with the plaintiff," according to court documents. The woman alleges at least 10 incidents that involved activities ranging from kissing to rape.
The civil lawsuit accused the town of Hudson and several now-former Hudson Public Schools officials, but those entities were removed from the lawsuit last year.
It's not clear when the new criminal trial will begin.
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