The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has filed a lawsuit against the Campbell Union High School District. The lawsuit alleges that Leigh High School teacher Shawn Thomas impregnated a student in 2003 and forced her to have an abortion. Thomas was arrested last month after the former student disclosed to police that he raped her while she was his student.
Click for a copy of the lawsuit
The lawsuit states that the victim, referred to as Jane Doe, was a freshman at Leigh High in the 2002-2003 school year. Thomas allegedly began grooming her for sexual advances and assaulting her multiple times on school grounds, including in his portable classroom and a storage room in the boys’ locker room. The lawsuit claims that Thomas’s wife Sarah, who was the Dean of Leigh High at the time, discovered the victim with Thomas in his classroom after they had been having sex.
In spring 2003, the lawsuit alleges that Thomas forced Jane Doe to have an abortion after he had impregnated her. After the pregnancy, Jane Doe reportedly told Sarah Thomas about the abuse, but the lawsuit claims Sarah blamed the victim and did not report the abuse to authorities or take action to protect the student.
The lawsuit states that Shawn Thomas continued to sexually assault the victim on school grounds even after the pregnancy. “Leigh High School had every opportunity to prevent the abuse of my client,” said attorney Lauren Cerri. “There were red flags everywhere that Shawn Thomas was a sexual predator. Even worse, a direct report was made by my client and completely ignored.”
At the time of his arrest, Shawn Thomas was a teacher and coach at Leigh High and Los Gatos High. He was known in the local athletic community, having been a standout athlete at Leigh High and coaching there and elsewhere. His wife Sarah has worked for the school district for over 20 years.
Cerri believes there may be additional victims and is asking anyone with information to contact her office.