San Ramon Valley Unified School District to Pay Nearly $7 Million in Settlement for Failure to Protect Students from Sexual Abuse

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard is announcing a lawsuit settlement in which the San Ramon Valley Unified School District has agreed to pay $6,999,900 (one hundred dollars short of seven million dollars) in compensation related to the sexual abuse of two students by former educator Ryan Weible.

“This settlement brings to light disturbing failures by the district, which took no meaningful action to hold Weible accountable,” attorney Lauren Cerri said. “Instead, they allowed him to quietly resign and move on, without filing a complaint with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Moreover, the district did not fully cooperate with the police investigation and concealed many important facts from law enforcement that they were aware of.”

Both survivors, who were minors at San Ramon Valley High School, testified that Weible abused his position of authority and trust to systematically groom and sexually abuse them over several years. The abuse reportedly began in the 2009–2010 school year and continued through 2011–2012. During this period, Weible subjected the young plaintiffs to repeated abuse in multiple locations, including school grounds, his personal vehicle, his apartment, and even during a school-sponsored senior trip to New York City.

One survivor, Jane Doe, expressed profound disappointment in the district’s actions. "The district prioritized its reputation over student safety and accountability. SRVUSD protected Weible rather than fulfilling their duty, threatening more than just myself and my co-plaintiff but enabling Weible to endanger multitudes of students. It's disgusting, abhorrent behavior, and cannot be tolerated. I know I'm not the first, and unfortunately won't be the last, but we must remain vigilant and continue to fight for the safety of our students. Parents deserve to be able to drop their kids off at school and know that they are safe - and that the faculty and staff will do the right thing and follow the policies they claim they follow. SRVUSD failed and instead of taking accountability and action to prevent this from happening again, they aided a predator to protect themselves despite the danger he poses."

The plaintiffs described how Weible’s predatory behavior was often out in the open, visible to both staff and students. This included favoritism toward certain students, frequent and excessive physical contact such as prolonged hugs or having students sit on his lap, and spending private time alone with female students behind closed doors. These troubling patterns were clear warning signs of misconduct.

At the core of the case against the San Ramon Valley Unified School District is the claim that the district and its employees were grossly negligent in fulfilling their duty to supervise and protect students from foreseeable harm.

“Despite obvious indicators of inappropriate conduct, the district failed to intervene, investigate, or report its suspicions to the appropriate authorities,” Cerri said. “They neglected crucial disciplinary procedures and failed to provide staff with adequate training to identify or respond to grooming and abuse. This allowed Weible’s predatory actions to continue unchecked for years.”

The settlement exposes the institutional failures and serves as a warning to other schools about the serious consequences of mishandling abuse allegations. It highlights the urgent need for stronger policies, clear accountability, defined staff responsibilities, and a school culture that encourages reporting of abuse. These changes are essential to prevent future harm and protect student safety.

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