Latest News

Audrie Pott Case

Published on: June 1, 2015 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Justice for Audrie Pott and Her Family

Audrie Pott was just 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted. She was then photographed and humiliated at school by her assailants. Audrie Pott took her life eight days later. After waiting seven months for law enforcement to charge the assailants, the parents of Audrie Pott turned to attorney Robert Allard. Mr. Allard filed a civil lawsuit against the assailants and their families.

The civil lawsuit and the publicity surrounding Audrie’s sexual assault and suicide led to two significant changes in the law and a public apology from the assailants. The San Jose Mercury News reported that the civil case did a “service to the broader public” by “reminding us of the courts’ ability to bring clarity to societal issues-and the value of individuals who take grievances public in ways that help shift the course of history toward a truer justice.”

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Nicolas Lhermine, YMCA Childcare Worker Sex Abuse Case Hearing

Published on: September 23, 2014 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Nicolas Lhermine, YMCA Childcare Worker Sex Abuse Preliminary Hearing

Nicolas Lhermine is ordered to stand trial on sex abuse charges following a preliminary hearing in which the victims testified in this childcare worker sex abuse case. Nicolas Lhermine faces six felony charges, the most being severe oral copulation or penetration of a child under 10, which may result in a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

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Keith Woodhouse Found Guilty of Child Molestation

Published on: October 1, 2013 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Keith Woodhouse Convicted

Keith Woodhouse was convicted today of 30 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. Woodhouse was hired by Child Development Center, Inc. (CDI) to work at its day-care programs at Trace and El Rancho Elementary Schools in San Jose. While working at these locations, Woodhouse molested nine young girls.

Childhood molestation attorney Robert Allard, representing seven of the victims, issued the following statement. “The families are relieved that criminal justice has been imposed on a serial pedophile. Now we can turn our attention to repairing the damage to these children by holding accountable those organizations which allowed this to happen. Both the then-current and former employer of Woodhouse knew or should have known that he presented a grave risk to children. As a result, steps should have been taken to protect them. Instead, they were left vulnerable and unprotected and as a consequence savagely molested.”

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Morgan Hill YMCA Sex Abuse

Published on: August 8, 2013 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Nicolas Lhermine, Morgan Hill YMCA Employee Charged with Sex Abuse of Children

Reports are surfacing that accused child molester, Nick Lhermine of the Morgan Hill YMCA, may have sexually abused numerous children at the Paradise Valley Elementary School daycare facility. The YMCA of Silicon Valley is responsible for the administration of 12 Association Centers in the area. This includes the Mt. Madonna YMCA,which operates the YMCA – Paradise Valley summer child care day camp on the premises of Paradise Valley Elementary School in Morgan Hill. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that Lhermine was hired as an aide in February of 2011.

Citing court documents and interviews with law enforcement, reports from the news media indicate that at least four children have come forward indicating they were victims of Lhermine’s sex abuse at the Morgan Hill YMCA’s childcare facility located at Paradise Valley Elementary School. As a result, Nicolas Lhermine is accused of molesting children as young as 5 and 7 years old.

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Traina Elementary School Sexual Abuse

Published on: August 8, 2013 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Darrel Golden, a fourth-grade teacher at Anthony C. Traina Elementary School in Tracy, faces child molestation charges which involve at least 12 children. Golden is reportedly charged with 33 counts of lewd acts on a child and child molestation. The alleged victims include 10 girls and two boys, ranging in age from 7 to 10 years old.

Attorney Robert Allard is familiar with molestation cases involving teachers. Mr. Allard is currently representing the parents of multiple children in a case involving convicted O.B. Whaley school teacher Craig Chandler.

In the ongoing case against O.B. Whaley School and the Evergreen Elementary School District, Mr. Allard has dug deep to uncover evidence that demonstrated that the school had advance warning of Chandler’s behavior and yet took no action. For parents who find themselves facing teachers like Darrel Golden at Tracy’s Traina Elemetary School, Mr. Allard has this advice:

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Evergreen School District Sex Abuse Scandal Made Worse with Non-Compliance of a Federal Law to Protect Students from Molestation According to NBC Bay Area

Published on: February 15, 2013 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit claims the Evergreen School District ignored a federal law designed to protect students in molestation and sex abuse cases like the one involving O.B. Whaley School and their former teacher Craig Chandler and Principal Lyn Vijayendran. Title IX requires schools to have a system in place to file sexual harassment and sex abuse complaints, a trained coordinator to process them and that this information be made public for staff, students and parents. According to the report, at the time of the alleged sex abuse, Evergreen did not have a trained Title IX coordinator or contact information published online.

“If they had followed the law appropriately, none of this would have happened,” attorney Robert Allard told NBC Bay Area.

Former O.B. Whaley principal convicted of failing to report child abuse

Published on: November 5, 2012 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

A Santa Clara County Superior Court jury convicted former O.B. Whaley Elementary School principal Lyn Vijayendran of failing to report suspected child abuse in the case involving former teacher Craig Chandler. The San Jose Mercury News reports that Vijayendran faced up to six months in jail if convicted. Vijayendran agreed to be sentenced immediately and Judge Deborah Ryan reportedly sentenced her to six months court probation, $602 in court fines, and 100 hours of community service.

Attorney Robert Allard represents one of Craig Chandler’s alleged sex abuse victims.

“This was a much deeper problem that involved much more than just one person making a horrible mistake,” Allard stated during the trial. “This was a systemic failure. In addition to the principal, at least one other teacher at O.B. Whaley as well as the District’s superintendent and human resources director knew all about what Chandler was doing and yet, shockingly, he continued to sexually molest children under the auspices that he was teaching them about Helen Keller. Seemingly both the school and the district turned a blind eye to obvious acts of insidious childhood sexual abuse. When you combine this with the fact that there was a complete absence of any training or education on sex abuse issues, I have grave doubts about whether our children are safe from sex abuse in public schools. Parents everywhere should heed this warning.”

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Rick Curl Charged with Sex Abuse of Former Swimmer

Published on: October 26, 2012 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Update: May 23, 2013

Rick Curl was sentenced to 7 years in prison for the sexual abuse of Kelley Davies Currin more than 30 years ago. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Marielsa Bernard imposed a 15-year sentence, with all but seven years suspended. The Judge thought it was important to send a message that criminals will be held accountable no matter when they’re caught. More on the sentencing as reported by the Washington Post.

Update: February 21, 2013

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Michael Phelps’ NBAC Removes Coach Accused of Sexual Abuse

Published on: October 8, 2012 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

A former student of a high-level coach with ties to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club recently came forward with sexual abuse allegations against that coach. These allegations resulted in the coach’s resignation, the club taking unprecedented action, and USA Swimming seemingly taking steps to protect the coach.

Here is Tim Joyce’s original story, removed twice by WBAL in Baltimore. The news director offered an explanation for the first removal but not for the permanent removal.

Swimming Coach Accused Of Molestation At North Baltimore Aquatic Club

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KTVU Reports Lawsuit Alleges Group Home Didn’t Protect Girls from Sexual Abuse

Published on: September 24, 2012 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

KTVU Channel 2 News is reporting that a civil lawsuit was filed against a Santa Clara County group home this month after it was warned about the behavior of one of its staff members, but did nothing to prevent him from allegedly sexually abusing students.

San Jose childhood molestation attorney Robert Allard alleges in the lawsuit filed against Eastfield Ming Quong (EMQ) Children and Family Services that the sexual molestation of a 12-year-old girl was preventable and that the facility retaliated against the victim for reporting the sexual abuse.

More details on the story can be found at KTVU.