HOPKINTON, MA – An 18-year-old woman has filed a federal lawsuit against a Massachusetts town, alleging officials allowed a convicted sex offender to continue operating a pizzeria where she was sexually assaulted at age 16.
The lawsuit, filed this week, names the Town of Hopkinton, police officials, and Police Chief Joseph Bennett as defendants. The plaintiff, who remains unnamed in court documents, is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
According to the complaint, Petros “Peter” Sismanis, the former owner of Hillers Pizza, lured the then-16-year-old into the restaurant’s basement where he forcefully kissed and hugged her. The victim called her mother to pick her up, and when they arrived, Sismanis allegedly blocked their vehicle and begged them not to contact police.
Court records reveal Sismanis had a 1998 guilty plea for indecent assault and battery, yet had been renewing his business license with the town since at least 2016. The lawsuit alleges police had received prior complaints from female employees about Sismanis’s behavior.
Sismanis was convicted in June 2025 in connection with the assault. He is currently being held in ICE custody in California.
The lawsuit states the victim now suffers from “severe emotional distress and post-traumatic stress disorder” as a result of the assault.
Douglas Louison, an attorney representing the Town of Hopkinton, said officials “acted appropriately and constitutionally” while expressing sympathy for the victim.
“Town and police officials are sympathetic,” Louison said, “but acted appropriately and constitutionally.”
The case raises questions about municipal oversight of business owners with criminal histories and what responsibility local governments bear in protecting residents from known offenders.
