Former LAUSD Student Suing for Sexual Abuse by a Teacher

A lawsuit was recently filed by a 35-year-old male identified as John Doe, who is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District for sexual abuse by one of his teachers. The lawsuit contains allegations of sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and failure to report child abuse along with other acts of negligence.

The alleged perpetrator is Gabriela Cortez, who was sentenced in 2013 after pleading guilty to multiple charges of sexual abuse against former LAUSD students. As for John Doe, he claims that he was in his junior year at Roosevelt High School when Cortez groomed him into a sexual relationship.

The abuse continued into his senior year and escalated to the point where the plaintiff began to have panic attacks. One of these attacks was so bad that he was unable to participate in his own graduation proceedings. Since then, the former student has suffered various forms of emotional distress and is seeking an unspecified sum of monetary damages from Cortez and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As we mentioned, Cortez was convicted of sexual assault against numerous students, so we know for a fact that this teacher had a long and disturbing history of inappropriate conduct. Furthermore, we believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sexual abuse between students and staff members at LAUSD schools. If you or your family member was sexually abused while attending a public school in Los Angeles County, contact our office to speak with a lawyer who is experienced in child abuse lawsuits.

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Can I Sue LAUSD for Sexual Abuse by a School Employee?

Yes, it’s possible to sue a school district for sexual abuse by a teacher, janitor, bus driver, or any adult that works at a school. In the recent lawsuit filed against LAUSD and Gabriela Cortez, one of the accusations was negligence, like failing to contact the authorities about claims of sexual abuse. This is shockingly common in school systems across California, even though school workers are required by law to report any complaints or suspicion of child abuse, according to the state’s mandatory reporting laws.

Aside from not contacting the police, many school administrators fail to inform the parents or the child’s legal guardians. The child may also be coerced into staying quiet about the abuse, usually by being told that it was all a misunderstanding, or they are somehow responsible for the incident. In the meanwhile, abusive employees are shielded or transferred to other schools. We have also come across letters and other records that clearly indicate district officials knew about the toxic culture of sexual misconduct at certain schools. Yet, they did little to nothing to protect the students who were dependent on them.

It’s more than likely that neglect and misconduct by the school district is at the heart of why you were sexually abused by a trusted adult. This is known as liability, and it’s the basis of a school sexual abuse lawsuit, whether you are an adult survivor or the parent of an abused student. We can help you put the pieces together and sue for the compensation you deserve, so please give us a call as soon as possible.

What is the Deadline to Sue for Sexual Abuse by a Teacher?

The statute of limitations for a school sexual assault lawsuit is 22 years after turning 18 or 5 years from the discovery of injuries that are caused by sexual abuse.

With the first statutory guideline, determining the deadline for a lawsuit is based on your 40^th birthday. But what does it mean to discover injuries resulting from sexual abuse? Essentially, it can take a child victim many years to understand what happened to them. This is often due to the repression of traumatic incidents that they are not equipped to deal with. For many of our clients, the understanding of abuse and its impact on their life is not realized until they seek help for mental health issues like suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, and panic attacks.

We want to stress that the amount of time to sue for child sexual abuse is based on whichever dates comes later, which was put into place by lawmakers to give you as much time a possible for a lawsuit. If you would like to confirm your eligibility to sue the Los Angeles Unified School District, contact us today.

Average Value of a School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Based on similar lawsuits against California school districts, a LAUSD sexual abuse lawsuit is worth between $2,500,000 and $5,000,000 for incidents of sexual assault, while sexual harassment claims are usually settled for under $1,500,000. In the event there are many harassment and assault incidents over 1 or more years, the amount of compensation for a school sexual abuse case may exceed $10,000,000.

Keep in mind that the actual value of your lawsuit is based on many issues that we will discuss with you in person. Based on your injuries, negligence by district officials and other relevant factors, a sexual abuse claim against Los Angeles Unified School District can range from $450,000 to over $15,000,000.

How Long Does it Take to Get Paid from LAUSD?

The amount of time to settle a student-teacher sexual assault case is around 1 to 2 years for the vast majority of lawsuits. Some of our cases are settled within the first few months, but we would say that 12 months is a more realistic timeline. We also have cases that take 3 or more years to settle, due to a variety of complications, including the need for a trial. Even if a trial is scheduled, please be aware that most cases are settled out of court. Thus, over 95% of our clients receive payment from a LAUSD sex abuse lawsuit within 1 or 2 years.

Schedule a Free Second Opinion

If you have an active claim for sexual abuse against a California school district, please consider a free second opinion from one of our attorneys. This is a very common practice among those who have filed a lawsuit, especially if you have concerns or questions about your case.

Some people walk away from a second opinion consultation with the reassurance that their case is on the right track. Others realize that there are serious issues that need to be addressed, perhaps by changing lawyers, which we can help you with here at Normandie Law Firm. No matter what, we are happy to provide advice and guidance at no cost to you, so call us anytime if you would like to obtain a free second opinion on a lawsuit for childhood sexual abuse.

Contact Our Law Firm

The sexual assault lawyers of Normandie have decades of experience representing adults and children who were abused by a teacher, coach, administrator, or any other school employee. We understand that money doesn’t make up for what happened to you, but filing a lawsuit is a way to take charge of the situation and ensure that the responsible parties pay for their failure to protect you.

You pay nothing out of pocket if you decide that we are the right law firm to represent. Our Zero Fee Guarantee ensures that all legal fees are paid by the school district. And if we don’t recover your settlement from a student sexual abuse lawsuit, you owe us nothing for the cost of representing you.

Contact us today for a free consultation on your rights and legal options.