Articles Posted in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

The law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has launched a lawsuit against the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) on grounds of alleged childhood sexual abuse. The suit claims that the school district failed to adequately supervise Harlan Edelman, a former teacher and counselor at Lowell High School.

According to the lawsuit, during the academic year 2004-2005, Edelman commenced a process of “grooming” a student, identified as John Doe, to gain his trust with the ultimate goal of sexually exploiting him. Under the pretense of assisting Doe with improving his academic performance, Edelman reportedly offered Doe rides home, meals, and gifts. Allegedly, despite this behavior, school authorities ignored Edelman’s actions. The lawsuit accuses Edelman of abusing Doe on the premises of Lowell High School, including his own office and classroom.

The plaintiff, Doe, was under the impression that Edelman wielded significant influence at Lowell High School and could aid him in achieving his academic ambitions. Lowell High School holds a reputation as one of the top high schools in the nation and consistently ranks among the Top 10 Public Schools in California based on test scores.

Two lawsuits filed in 2022 allege that former Oakland Unified School District teacher William “Skip” Allara sexually abused two students at two different schools. The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard represents one of the victims.

The first lawsuit was filed in August of 2022 and alleges that Allara sexually abused a student at Jefferson Elementary School in Oakland. The lawsuit claims that the sexual abuse and sexual assault took place during the 1976-1977 time period when the student was 11-years-old.

According to the lawsuit, Allara abused the student in the classroom, the teacher’s bathroom at school, and in his vehicle.

Following the sexual misconduct arrest of Del Paso Heights Elementary School teacher Kim Wilson last month, one of his victims is now filing a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Twin Rivers Unified School District.

The San Jose based law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard filed the case in Sacramento County Superior Court on behalf of the now 19-year-old victim.

The lawsuit states that the school district failed in its legal duty to properly screen and supervise Wilson. Wilson, alleges the lawsuit, engaged in highly visible grooming activities and used his role as the head of the school’s broadcast group to isolate the victim in a locked, windowless, padded sound proof room.

 

LAS VEGAS, NV – Dec. 8, 2022 – A civil lawsuit was filed today against Backstreet Boys pop star Nick Carter for the February 2001 rape of a 17-year-old girl.

The crime occurred following a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, Washington.

The lawsuit was filed in Las Vegas because that’s where Carter lives.

Two alleged victims of former teachers Gary Bettencourt and Dusty Norris seek to hold the enablers of their predators accountable for their sexual abuse.

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit in Merced County Superior Court alleging that former Merced County educators, Gary Bettencourt and Dusty Norris, sexually abused two young students.

Identified as Jane Doe 1 in the lawsuit, the complaint alleges that Norris abused her during the 2004-2005 school year. At the time Norris was employed by the Merced County of Education (MCOE) as an ROP teacher at Los Banos High School.

Sexual abuse victim was in second grade when she was sexually abused starting in 2006

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit in Butte County Superior Court alleging the Thermalito Union Elementary School District was negligent for failing to protect an eight-year-old second grade student.

The student is identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit. She was abused between 2006-2009 at Poplar Avenue Elementary School in Thermalito, which is near Oroville.

A total of five victims now accuse former Sierramont Middle School teacher Ronald Gardner of sexual abuse.

The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard filed an amended lawsuit this week in Santa Clara County Superior Court (Case No. 22CV401151) on behalf of another sexual abuse victim of Sierramont Middle School teacher Ronald Gardner. The victims in the case allege that the Berryessa Union School District in San Jose was negligent in failing to protect Sierramont Middle School students from sexual abuse.

The new victim is identified as John Doe 3 in the civil lawsuit.

In one of the largest civil jury verdicts in Santa Clara County history, the Union School District in San Jose has been ordered to pay $102.5 million to two young women who were sexually abused by former Dartmouth Middle School band director Samuel Neipp.

The school district has sought to overturn the verdict.

“It’s a high number but we’ve shown the court the verdict is justified,” attorney Lauren Cerri said. Ms. Cerri, from San Jose-based Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, represented one of the two women in the case.

A Marin County jury ruled that the Tamalpais Union High School District was 100 percent negligent for the 2003 sexual abuse of a then-high school student by its then PE teacher and tennis coach Normandie Burgos (Marin County Superior Court, Case# CIV2001133). It awarded the student $10 million.

The student, Alexander Harrison, is now 36 years old.

His lawsuit against the Tamalpais Union High School District was filed in March 2020 by the San Jose-based law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard under the auspices of AB 218, which extends the statute of limitations to allow older child sexual abuse cases to be filed through December 2022.

Teacher showed no remorse for abusing as many as 40 male students

When Dennis Thomas started teaching at Cinnabar Elementary School in San Jose, it wasn’t long before school officials became aware that he was befriending young boys and taking them to his home or to places like the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz.

One time he even took a student on a Mexican cruise and he often sexually abused students at school – making boys sit on his lap, and inappropriately rubbing and touching them.

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