Two lawsuits have been filed against the Jefferson Union High School District alleging the district’s failure to protect female students from sexual abuse by two teachers at Terra Nova High School, the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard announced.
The first lawsuit involves a current student, identified only as Jane Doe. She claims she was groomed and sexually assaulted by her woodshop instructor, Paul Spinetti, during the 2024-2025 academic year. The student was a freshman enrolled in special education classes at the time of the alleged abuse.
According to the complaint, after disclosing the assault to her mother, law enforcement was notified and Spinetti was arrested on felony charges related to lewd and lascivious acts. The lawsuit accuses the district of ignoring prior allegations and rumors about Spinetti’s inappropriate behavior, which dated back several years. These included inappropriate touching, sexually suggestive gifts made in class, and comments targeted at female students. Despite multiple reports from students and parents over the years, no investigations or disciplinary actions were reportedly taken by the district, nor were authorities or child protective agencies informed as required by law.
Parallel to this case, another Jane Doe, a former student, filed a lawsuit regarding abuse she alleges occurred during her junior and senior years (2015-2017) at Terra Nova High. She claims that her chemistry teacher, Ross Robert Ellison, exploited his position to groom her through special attention such as private meetings, lunches, personal emails, rides off campus, and conversations outside school hours. The grooming escalated to sexual assault off school grounds. The abuse, according to the lawsuit, was widely known among students, evidenced by public displays of affection, his attendance at school events with her, and frequent solitary encounters in his classroom. After the student graduated, the school was reportedly made aware of the abuse by another student but took minimal action. Ellison resigned or was terminated soon afterward, although he still holds a valid California teaching credential.
Both lawsuits claim the district was aware of the teachers’ grooming and abusive behaviors yet failed to properly screen, supervise, investigate, or report the conduct. The law firm asserts that the district neglected its responsibility by overlooking complaints, failing to provide staff training on detecting grooming behavior, inadequately monitoring classrooms, and protecting its reputation at the expense of student safety.
“These cases reveal a disturbing pattern of negligence and oversight by the district that allowed predatory behavior to continue unchecked, leaving vulnerable students exposed to harm,” said attorney Lauren Cerri.
The lawsuits seek accountability and highlight the need for systemic changes to ensure student welfare is prioritized in district policies and practices.