Brett David Dahl, a 43-year-old teacher in the San Bernardino County, has been arrested after allegations involving inappropriate conduct with a 16-year-old female. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Specialized Investigation Division – Crimes Against Children Detail confirmed this investigation and the suspect’s arrest on April 24, 2024 via a press release. Dahl was booked into the High Desert Detention Center located in Adelanto. He faces multiple charges, including child abduction, child endangerment, contacting a minor to commit a felony, and meeting with a minor for lewd purposes.
Dahl is a resident of Victorville, California. He was a teacher with Excelsior Charter Schools, which has many campuses in the area.
The authorities believe that there may be additional victims. They are urging any other victims or anyone with any information to contact them as soon as possible.
Far too many students are harmed by their teachers. These teachers take advantage of their positions and their proximity to children. If you or your child were sexually abused by a teacher at Excelsior Charter Schools or any other charter school or public school, it is important that you understand that you have the right to file a lawsuit. You could also be entitled to compensation for the harm resulting from the abuse. If you are ready to explore the legal services available to you, contact our school sexual abuse lawyers today.
The experts here at the Normandie Law Firm are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your rights. Our law firm has decades of experience handling school child sex abuse claims and fighting to get justice for victims. For more information about the legal options available to you, do not hesitate to reach out to our legal team.
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Excelsior Charter Schools
Campuses are located at the following:
- Barstow – 1497 State St. Barstow, CA 92311
- Corona-Norco – 1400 Fullerton Ave. Corona, CA 92879
- North Victorville – 18000 McCoy Circle Dr. Victorville, CA 92394
- Victorville – 18422 Bear Valley Road. Victorville, CA 92395
- Ontario – 1520-E N. Mountain Ave. Ontario, CA 91762
- Phelan – 4083 Phelan Road. Phelan, CA 92371
- Redlands – 1145 Church Street. Redlands, CA 92374
- San Bernardino – 444 W. Rialto Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92401
Child Sexual Abuse at Schools
Unfortunately, child sex abuse at schools has become increasingly common. Teachers take advantage of their positions to abuse students or manipulate them into inappropriate “relationships.” Although every case is different, child sex abuse at schools could potentially consist of the following:
- Rape and attempted rape
- Sodomy
- Penetration with objects
- Groping, fondling, or any touching
- Kissing (both on the lips/mouth or anywhere on the body)
- Forcing the minor to touch the attacker
- Forcing the minor to engage in any sexual acts with the attacker
- Forcing the minor to watch the attacker performing sexual acts
- Making sexually explicit jokes or comments
- Sending inappropriate emails or text messages
- Showing the minor sexually explicit photos or videos
- Sending the minor sexually explicit photos or videos
Depending on the specific details surrounding the abuse, victims could suffer physical, mental, and emotional harm. Although every situation is different, victims could potentially suffer the following: sexually transmitted infections; unwanted and unplanned pregnancies and related complications; injuries to genitals; injuries to reproductive organs; other physical injuries like fractures, lacerations, etc.; post-traumatic stress disorder; depression; anxiety disorder; panic disorder; fear; general distrust of authority; inability to form normal relationships with friends or family; increased risk of substance abuse; increased risk of self-harm.
Can I Sue Excelsior Charter Schools for Sexual Abuse by a Teacher?
Yes – you could sue. Your right to sue is based on the duty of care that these schools have towards their students. Schools have a duty to keep their students safe from any harm – including harm at the hands of teachers and other staff. These schools must ensure that their teachers and staff do not pose a threat to students; therefore, all prospective employees must be subject to extensive background checks (and random background checks once they have already been hired), training, and supervision, for instance. These schools must also have the necessary policies and procedures for reporting and investigating abuse. When a school fails to identify or address sexual abuse that has been reported by a student, parent, or another staff member, then the school could be found liable for all resulting harm. If the school actively covers up the abuse, the school could also be liable.
In summary, you could have the right to file a lawsuit against Excelsior Charter Schools for sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher. For more information, contact the experts here at our law firm at your earliest convenience.
Possible Remedies Available for School Child Sex Abuse Cases
Claimants could be eligible to recover compensation for the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Treble damages
- Legal expenses
What cases are eligible for treble damages? Treble damages is a category only awarded in cases where sexual abuse was covered up by the institution (i.e., the school). If the school was aware of the sex abuse that was happening but failed to do anything about it, besides covering it up, then claimants could be entitled to treble damages. Treble damages can triple the total damages awarded.
How much compensation can I be awarded? Although every claim is different, child sex abuse cases tend to be high value. Specific values are based on the type of abuse that occurred, resulting injuries, the harm caused by the injuries, and more. These cases can range anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million, for instance. Class action lawsuits can reach the $20 million mark.
Here at the Normandie Law Firm, our school child sex abuse lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to recover the maximum payout available for your claim. Whether this means negotiating a settlement or taking your claim to trial to reach a verdict, our team is ready to go above it all to fight for your rights and secure the highest recovery available.
How Long Do I Have to File My Claim?
This is one of the most important questions that victims of sexual abuse at schools could ask. All claims are subject to a deadline to sue – or a statute of limitations. A statute of limitations determines the total length of time that claimant have to file their claims; if claimants do not file their claims on time, then they can lose their right to sue entirely.
In the state of California, victims of child sex abuse have until the age of forty to file their lawsuits. This gives them twenty-two years from the age of eighteen. In addition, there is a five-year discovery rule, which gives victims five years from discovering the harm caused by the abuse to file their lawsuit. This discovery rule is essential in these types of cases, since victims often suffer from suppressed memories due to the abuse.
If you are a parent who is filing a claim on your child’s behalf, please know that your child will not be able to file his or her claim once he or she is an adult. For more information about the total length of time that you have to pursue your claim, contact us today.
Contact the Normandie Law Firm Today
Our school child sex abuse lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue your lawsuit against Excelsior Charter Schools. If you or your child were abused by Dahl or by any other staff at the school, you could have the right to sue and be compensated. Our lawyers have decades of experience handling these claims, always fighting to get victims justice. Our firm offers free legal services, including free consultations and free second opinions. Our team will be available to provide you with all the information that you need to begin or continue your claim.
Our Zero-Fee Guarantee ensure that you will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. In addition, our law firm works on contingency, so our clients will not be required to pay anything if they do not win their claims.
Contact us today! Our school sex abuse lawyers are ready to guide you every step of the way!
