Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Results

$6M Settlement Sends Warning to Schools: Stop Ignoring Predators in the Classroom

Published on: August 13, 2025 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The Twin Rivers Unified School District has agreed to a $6 million settlement in a civil lawsuit stemming from sexual abuse by a former teacher at Del Paso Heights Elementary School. The case was brought by the San Jose-based law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard on behalf of a victim, Jane Doe, who was sexually abused by teacher Kim Wilson during the 2014-2015 school year when she was in sixth grade.

According to the lawsuit, Wilson used his position as head of the school’s broadcast group to isolate the young student in a locked, windowless, soundproof room on school grounds, where the abuse took place. All incidents occurred while both the teacher and student were under the supervision of the school district. The lawsuit alleges the District failed to properly monitor Wilson, allowing his predatory behavior to continue unchecked for years.

Attorney Lauren Cerri, representing the victim, called the $6 million settlement a powerful warning to parents, educators, and school officials about the hidden dangers of trusted educators who conceal their abuse behind a facade of mentorship. She emphasized the importance of vigilance and proactive measures to safeguard children, especially as students return to classrooms each new school year.

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A Decades-Long Fight for Justice – $1.6 Million Settlement in Mountain View Whisman School District

Published on: August 4, 2025 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard secured justice for two survivors of sexual abuse that occurred over 50 years ago. The Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two former students who alleged abuse by Steven Myers, a former teacher and vice principal at Crittenden Middle School in the 1970s. This settlement marks a crucial step toward accountability for past failures in student protection and highlights a disturbing pattern of misconduct by Myers, who also faced allegations in Santa Cruz City Schools (SCCS).

The case, emerging nearly 50 years after the alleged abuse, highlights both the enduring impact of childhood trauma and the evolving legal landscape that has enabled survivors to seek justice decades later.

The MVWSD settlement addresses claims by two former Crittenden Middle School students who allege that Myers groomed and sexually assaulted them in the 1970s. The allegations center on Myers’ operation of the Traveling School Summer Program, a six-week initiative targeting students with behavioral and academic challenges. Described as a “school on wheels,” the program incorporated controversial elements, including “Body Theme Days” where students were required to wear minimal clothing, such as bikinis or speedos, and participate in massage sessions led by Myers.

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San Ramon Valley Unified School District Settles for Nearly $7M

Published on: July 31, 2025 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) has agreed to a $6,999,900 settlement with two former students who alleged sexual abuse by former theater teacher Ryan Weible, as announced by the law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard. The settlement resolves a lawsuit claiming the district failed to protect the students from abuse that occurred between 2009 and 2012.

The plaintiffs, both minors at San Ramon Valley High School during the period of abuse, accused Weible of exploiting his authority to groom and sexually abuse them over several years. The abuse took place in various locations, including school grounds, Weible’s vehicle, his apartment, and during a school-sponsored senior trip to New York City. The lawsuit, filed in February 2024, highlighted the district’s negligence in addressing clear warning signs of Weible’s misconduct.

Attorney Lauren Cerri, representing the plaintiffs, criticized SRVUSD’s response, stating, “The district ignored obvious indicators of inappropriate conduct, failing to intervene, investigate, or report suspicions to authorities. They neglected disciplinary procedures and failed to train staff adequately to recognize grooming and abuse, allowing Weible’s actions to continue unchecked.” Cerri also noted that the district permitted Weible to resign quietly without reporting him to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or fully cooperating with police, withholding critical information.

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San Francisco Unified School District Reaches $1.5 Million Settlement in 20-Year-Old Lowell High School Sexual Abuse Case

Published on: May 13, 2025 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse by a former teacher and counselor at Lowell High School. The lawsuit, brought by a former student now identified as “John Doe,” claimed that the District failed to properly supervise Harlan Edelman, enabling years of abuse that began during the 2004-2005 academic year.

The complaint detailed how Edelman, then a teacher and counselor at the prestigious Lowell High School, began “grooming” the student under the pretense of academic mentorship. Edelman offered rides home, bought meals and gifts, and presented himself as a trusted adult invested in Doe’s success. According to the lawsuit, school officials ignored warning signs and failed to intervene, allowing Edelman to abuse the student repeatedly on campus, including in his office and classroom.

During the litigation, it emerged that another student had reported being sexually assaulted by a different counselor during the same school year, with Edelman allegedly helping to cover up that incident. Despite reports from students and parents, school officials did not take appropriate action. Attorney Lauren Cerri, representing John Doe, stated, “School officials admitted that they felt there was no reason to supervise any of the counselors more closely. Had they done so, most likely Edelman’s abuse of my client would have been detected and stopped”.

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Tamalpais Union High School District Reaches $17.5 Million Settlement Over Sexual Abuse by Former Coach

Published on: December 27, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The Tamalpais Union High School District has agreed to a $17.5 million settlement to resolve four sexual abuse lawsuits involving former tennis coach Normandie Burgos. The settlement includes $11.5 million awarded to A.H., a victim who successfully sued the district in Marin County Superior Court (Case No. CIV2001133). This amount also accounts for over $1 million in interest after the district unsuccessfully appealed a $10 million jury verdict from 2022, which found the district liable for failing to protect A.H. from Burgos’ abuse.

The settlement also resolves three additional lawsuits brought by two former Tamalpais High School students and a private tennis player who received lessons from Burgos at the school. One of the victims, identified as John Doe, will receive $4.5 million for abuse that began during the 1999-2000 school year, when Burgos was still a probationary employee without tenure protections. Doe testified that a school administrator witnessed Burgos sexually abusing him but failed to intervene or report the incident, instead making a joke and walking away.

“None of these men should have ever been abused,” said attorney Mark Boskovich, who represented the victims. “The district’s failure to act enabled and emboldened Burgos to continue his predatory behavior.”

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Santa Cruz City Schools Pays $4.5 Million to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims Against Former Educator

Published on: December 27, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Santa Cruz City Schools (SCCS) has reached a $4.5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard on behalf of two former students who alleged they were sexually abused by Steven Myers, a former SCCS teacher and principal, between 1987 and 1991. Each of the two men, now 49 years old, will receive $2.25 million for the abuse they endured during their middle and high school years.

Steven Myers, who was hired by SCCS in 1981 as principal of Branciforte Junior High School, was also the founder of the “Traveling School Summer Program,” a pilot initiative later integrated into the district’s curriculum. This program targeted students with behavioral and academic challenges, many from unstable home environments. Both plaintiffs, identified in court documents as John Roe 3 and John Roe 4, participated in the program during the late 1980s and early 1990s. They alleged that Myers used his position to create an environment that enabled years of abuse.

The lawsuit revealed disturbing details about Myers’ conduct during the Traveling School program. He reportedly incorporated massages into the curriculum, exclusively targeting boys, often shirtless, and required students to massage him in return. On designated “Body Theme Days,” students were instructed to wear minimal clothing; Myers himself wore a tight Speedo and required boys to do the same. Additionally, Myers allegedly provided drugs to students and invited them to his home for activities such as hot tub sessions. The lack of oversight allowed him to share rooms or beds with students during trips.

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Jury Returns $9 Million Sexual Assault Verdict Against USTA

Published on: May 15, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has been ordered by a jury to pay $9 million in damages to tennis player Kylie McKenzie after a court determined that the organization failed to prevent her from being sexually assaulted by her coach.

Kylie McKenzie, a 25-year-old American tennis player, initiated her lawsuit in March 2022 in the US District Court in Orlando, Florida. She filed against both the USTA and USTA Player Development Incorporated, alleging that her former coach, Anibal Aranda, employed by the organization at the time, had committed sexual assault and battery against her.

Accusations also included the USTA’s gross negligence in employing and inadequately supervising Coach Aranda, despite his known history of sexual predation, which the lawsuit contended constituted a conscious disregard or indifference to McKenzie’s life, safety, or rights.

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Berryessa Union School District Pays $10M to Settle Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Published on: May 8, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Berryessa Union School District has agreed to pay $10.3 million to a group of former Sierramont Middle School students who were groomed and sexually abused in the late 1990s and early 2000s by a teacher who in 2023 was convicted and sentenced to two decades in prison after the victims renewed their allegations against him.

The settlement with the Berryessa Union School District was announced Tuesday by the San Jose-based law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, which secured the payout on behalf of three students. Two of them testified in the prosecution of Ronald Dean Gardner, who was sentenced in December to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a total of four students.

Gardner taught at the school more than two decades ago and was plagued by allegations of inappropriate conduct with students. He was allowed to resign after a police investigation at the time failed to yield any criminal charges against him. In 2021, students came forward again with abuse allegations after Assembly Bill 218, which was in effect from 2020 to 2022, granted a one-time extension of the statute of limitations.

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San Francisco Unified School District Settles Two Sexual Abuse Lawsuits for $4.5 million

Published on: March 1, 2024 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

Two sexual abuse lawsuits against the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) have been settled. The lawsuits involved allegations of sexual abuse by former George Washington High School athletic director Lawrence Young-Yet Chan towards two students, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.

According to the lawsuit, the abuse reportedly occurred on the school campus during school hours, in locations like Chan’s office, a locker room, and a stairwell. “School districts have a duty to protect their students and are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety,” attorney Lauren Cerri said.

The SFUSD board of trustees approved the settlement amount following agreements between the insurance carriers, the survivors, and the district. The settlement was reached to spare the survivors from having to retell their stories and to allow them to move forward and start rebuilding their lives.

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Los Gatos Union School District settles sexual abuse lawsuit brought by two victims of fifth grade teacher

Published on: October 21, 2022 | By Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP

The Los Gatos Union School District has agreed to pay a total of $5.1 million to a teenager and an adult who were sexually abused as children by Blossom Hill Elementary School teacher and youth theater director Joseph Brian Houg.

The sexual abuse lawsuit, CV No. 21CV388845, was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court by attorneys for San Jose-based Cerri, Boskovich & Allard.

John Doe, 13, was sexually assaulted in early 2020; he will receive $900,000. John Doe 2, 23, was sexually abused in 2008-2009 and will receive $4.2 million.

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