text: can you sue a teacher for emotional damage? i had this teacher in highschool that was emotionally damaging to me. its 10 years later, but i never forgot any of the words he said to me and the damage to my selfesteem never recovered. he picked on me the whole year just because i was quiet. you would have an extremely hard time making a case, unless many incidents are documented, the school still has the records and documentation on file, you can prove harm, you can prove that the harm was caused by him, and you can get a lawyer to take the case.  a long shot, probably impossible.  why don't you try writing a letter to him, perhaps with the help of a counselor, to tell him what he did to you.  you might or might not get an apology, but it might help to get your feelings out.  if you can't reach him anymore, you could try this exercise:  write to him a letter full of all your feelings, anger, etc.  then write the letter back to you that you think he would say.  then, lastly, write a letter back to him expressing your closure of the situation - whether forgiving him or just telling him that you won't allow his actions to affect you anymore.