PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS — The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office has charged former Miss Hall's School teacher Matthew Rutledge with three counts of rape following a grand jury indictment. He is charged with two counts of rape against Melissa Fares and one count of rape against Hilary Simon.

Two former students, Hilary Simon and Melissa Fares, testified before the grand jury, and the indictment was based on their testimony. The District Attorney's Office is in the process of sending Matthew Rutledge a formal summons, the DA's office said.

Simon was allegedly abused by Rutledge from 2001 to 2005. Fares was allegedly abused by Rutledge from 2007 to 2010.

In April 2024, Rutledge resigned from Miss Hall's School after Fares reported him to school administrators for alleged sexual abuse and exploitation. That same month, the Pittsfield Police Department, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families launched investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct by Rutledge.

In October 2024, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue announced that his office could not press charges against Rutledge because Massachusetts law defines the age of consent as 16 and does not criminalize sexual relations between teachers and students regardless of age. The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office subsequently assigned a team of special prosecutors and Massachusetts State Police detectives to review evidence collected by the Pittsfield Police Department and a law firm hired by Miss Hall's School.

The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office concluded that Rutledge had violated Massachusetts General Law.

"What I do know is that Melissa and I were clear from Day 1 that there was never any consent. And I think that consistency, that refusal to let anyone reframe what happened to us, is part of what kept this case alive," Simon said.

"There were too many moments where it felt like it might not go anywhere. So I held onto hope, but also protected myself from expecting it," Fares said.

Miss Hall's School hired a law firm to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by Rutledge. A report released in August 2025 found that Rutledge had been reported for inappropriate behavior to Miss Hall's School leadership multiple times.

Fares filed a lawsuit against Miss Hall's School in 2024. Simon filed a lawsuit against Miss Hall's School in 2025. Fares and Simon worked with Massachusetts state lawmakers to support a bill that would hold individuals in positions of power, including teachers, criminally responsible for sexual relations with students even if the students are at or above the age of consent.