School Teacher Sexual Abuse

Lawsuit Filed Against Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Alleging Failure to Supervise Teacher

Published on: October 22, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Lawsuit alleges that the District failed to supervise a John Glenn teacher after it was alerted to inappropriate red-flag behavior

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has filed a lawsuit against the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that the district failed to adequately supervise a John Glenn High School teacher, which led to the alleged sexual assault of a student.

The plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, claims that the teacher, Raymond Niemann, exploited his position of authority to groom her for sexual advances beginning in 2008. The alleged abuse continued for nearly two years.

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Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Gridley Unified School District

Published on: October 15, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

District failed to protect eighth-grade student from abuse by former teacher Michelle Solis

Butte County — October 10, 2024 — A lawsuit was filed late yesterday (Butte County Superior Court) against the Gridley Unified School District on behalf of a former middle school student who was sexually abused by his teacher, Michelle Solis, at Sycamore Junior High School during the 2020-2021 academic year. Solis confessed to the sexual activity with the eighth-grade male student and in June of this year was sentenced to four years in state prison.

The lawsuit filed by the San Jose law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard along with the Carrillo Law Firm from South Pasadena alleges that the school district failed to supervise Solis and to protect the student, named as John Doe in the lawsuit, from predators like Solis.

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What Parents Need to Know about Educator Sexual Abuse as a New School Year Begins

Published on: August 22, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

As students head back to school, the San Jose law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard is reminding parents about the dangers of sexual abuse by educators and urging parents and school officials to be aware of teachers who exhibit predatory “red flag” behavior, which almost always precedes the sexual abuse of a student.

Sexual predators signal their intent to sexually abuse a student by slowly crossing the boundaries established to protect students. The reality is that predators are not caught abusing children, but they can be caught breaking rules and crossing boundaries if parents and educators know what to look for.

According to Professor Charol Shakeshaft, an internationally recognized researcher, 4.5 million students or nearly 1 out of every ten kids are subjected to educator sexual misconduct. The sexual misconduct ranges from inappropriate conduct to criminal sexual behavior.

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Berryessa Union School District Pays $10M to Settle Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Published on: May 8, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Berryessa Union School District has agreed to pay $10.3 million to a group of former Sierramont Middle School students who were groomed and sexually abused in the late 1990s and early 2000s by a teacher who in 2023 was convicted and sentenced to two decades in prison after the victims renewed their allegations against him.

The settlement with the Berryessa Union School District was announced Tuesday by the San Jose-based law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, which secured the payout on behalf of three students. Two of them testified in the prosecution of Ronald Dean Gardner, who was sentenced in December to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a total of four students.

Gardner taught at the school more than two decades ago and was plagued by allegations of inappropriate conduct with students. He was allowed to resign after a police investigation at the time failed to yield any criminal charges against him. In 2021, students came forward again with abuse allegations after Assembly Bill 218, which was in effect from 2020 to 2022, granted a one-time extension of the statute of limitations.

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Lawsuit Accuses Leigh High School Teacher of Impregnating Young Student, Forcing Abortion

Published on: April 18, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

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.

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Emery Unified School District Sued Over Sexual Abuse

Published on: March 18, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard in San Jose announces a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Emery Unified School District over the alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old student by a school security guard.

The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County, highlights the failure of Emery High School employees to address the sexual misconduct of security guard Daniel Parham, despite knowledge of his inappropriate sexual behavior with other students. Parham is accused of isolating and assaulting the victim on multiple occasions during the 2023-2024 school year in various locations on school grounds.

This legal action is rooted in the duty of educational institutions to provide a safe environment for students and to prevent harm, especially when there are clear indications of misconduct by staff members that endanger students’ well-being.

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San Francisco Unified School District Settles Two Sexual Abuse Lawsuits for $4.5 million

Published on: March 1, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Two sexual abuse lawsuits against the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) have been settled. The lawsuits involved allegations of sexual abuse by former George Washington High School athletic director Lawrence Young-Yet Chan towards two students, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.

According to the lawsuit, the abuse reportedly occurred on the school campus during school hours, in locations like Chan’s office, a locker room, and a stairwell. “School districts have a duty to protect their students and are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety,” attorney Lauren Cerri said.

The SFUSD board of trustees approved the settlement amount following agreements between the insurance carriers, the survivors, and the district. The settlement was reached to spare the survivors from having to retell their stories and to allow them to move forward and start rebuilding their lives.

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San Ramon Valley USD Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Published on: February 29, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

A former student from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville has filed a lawsuit against her former theatre arts teacher, Ryan Weible, and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. The San Jose law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard is representing the victim.

The plaintiff accuses Weible of grooming and sexually abusing her over a decade ago, during the 2010-2011 school year. The lawsuit alleges inappropriate behavior, including hugs, hand massages, students sitting on his lap, and special attention to female students.

Of significant concern is the assertion that despite numerous complaints regarding Weible’s conduct, the school district failed to take appropriate action until 2012. Moreover, the complaint alleges that the district never reported suspicions of child abuse to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), allowing Weible to continue working with minors. Weible, currently serves as Assistant Head of School for a prestigious Bay Area private school.

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Del Paso Heights teacher charged with sexual abuse of five students

Published on: September 13, 2023 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

School knew that Wilson was emotionally and verbally abuse with students

Kim Wilson, former teacher at Del Paso Heights and Twin Rivers Unified School District, is now accused of sexually abusing five students, some as young as six to eight-years-old. Some of the charges are supported by video evidence uncovered. The criminal complaint was amended following a lengthy investigation.

On January 23, 2023, Wilson was placed on leave by the District after he was arrested following a former student’s November 2022 report of sexual abuse. The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard represents the former student in a civil lawsuit filed by attorney Lauren Cerri on her behalf.

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San Francisco Unified School District | Lowell High School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Published on: July 26, 2023 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has launched a lawsuit against the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) on grounds of alleged childhood sexual abuse. The suit claims that the school district failed to adequately supervise Harlan Edelman, a former teacher and counselor at Lowell High School.

According to the lawsuit, during the academic year 2004-2005, Edelman commenced a process of “grooming” a student, identified as John Doe, to gain his trust with the ultimate goal of sexually exploiting him. Under the pretense of assisting Doe with improving his academic performance, Edelman reportedly offered Doe rides home, meals, and gifts. Allegedly, despite this behavior, school authorities ignored Edelman’s actions. The lawsuit accuses Edelman of abusing Doe on the premises of Lowell High School, including his own office and classroom.

The plaintiff, Doe, was under the impression that Edelman wielded significant influence at Lowell High School and could aid him in achieving his academic ambitions. Lowell High School holds a reputation as one of the top high schools in the nation and consistently ranks among the Top 10 Public Schools in California based on test scores.

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