Crime and Municipal Liability

A 19‑year‑old woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Hopkinton, Massachusetts, its police chief and Hillers Pizza, alleging they negligently allowed Greek national Petros "Peter" Sismanis — a registered sex offender with prior accusations involving minors — to continue operating the pizza shop where he sexually assaulted her at age 16 in 2023. The suit, moved to federal court on Jan. 5, argues town officials knew or should have known about Sismanis’ 1998 rape and indecent‑assault case and his sex‑offender registration when they renewed the restaurant’s business license in 2016, a process that requires police review. Sismanis was convicted in June 2025 of indecent assault, battery and witness intimidation over the basement assault described in the complaint, received a six‑month jail sentence, and was placed back on the sex‑offender registry before being transferred to ICE custody over his immigration status. An attorney for Hopkinton says the town and police "acted appropriately and constitutionally" based on what they knew at the time, but the plaintiff is seeking $1 million in damages and contends the town’s licensing practices endangered the many minor girls Sismanis allegedly hired. The case spotlights how thin local vetting and lax follow‑through on sex‑offender information can leave teenage workers exposed, an issue likely to resonate far beyond one New England town.