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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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A former student from San Ramon Valley High School in Danville has filed a lawsuit against her former theatre arts teacher, Ryan Weible, and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. The San Jose law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard is representing the victim.

The plaintiff accuses Weible of grooming and sexually abusing her over a decade ago, during the 2010-2011 school year. The lawsuit alleges inappropriate behavior, including hugs, hand massages, students sitting on his lap, and special attention to female students.

Of significant concern is the assertion that despite numerous complaints regarding Weible’s conduct, the school district failed to take appropriate action until 2012. Moreover, the complaint alleges that the district never reported suspicions of child abuse to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), allowing Weible to continue working with minors. Weible, currently serves as Assistant Head of School for a prestigious Bay Area private school.

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A Florida federal judge has ruled in favor of tennis professional Kylie McKenzie, determining that the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) failed to adequately supervise her coach, Anibal Aranda, who sexually assaulted her. The ruling opens the door to a jury trial.

U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron, in his recent order, granted partial summary judgment, affirming that an internal USTA investigation verified Aranda’s “engagement in sexual misconduct” with McKenzie in 2018, when she was 19, and also revealed an incident involving the coach four years earlier. The USTA‘s own records documented 31 reports of sexual abuse within the sport between 2013 and 2018, indicating its awareness of the pervasive issue of sexual abuse among amateur athletes, as stated by Judge Byron.

The judge emphasized that since the USTA oversees both the training facility and coaches for athletes in its program, individuals like McKenzie depend on the organization to take reasonable measures to prevent instances of abuse during training sessions and events. McKenzie argued that the USTA shares a “special relationship” with its players, similar to the duty of care universities owe to their adult students, thus imposing an obligation to protect athletes in its training program from sexual assault — a claim the court supported.

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USA Fencing finds itself embroiled in controversy as allegations of sexual abuse surface against one of its coaches. This has resulted in a lawsuit being filed by the sexual abuse law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard against USA Fencing, highlighting the critical need for robust safeguarding measures and prompt action in handling abuse allegations within sports organizations.

The issue of abuse within USA Fencing, the National Governing Body for Fencing in the United States, has been a persistent concern. Similar to many sports organizations, instances of abuse have emerged over time, prompting investigations and calls for reform.

The #MeToo movement played a pivotal role in shedding light on various forms of misconduct and abuse across different industries, including sports. In response to allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse within fencing, USA Fencing established a Safe Sport Task Force in 2019.

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Congress presented with substantial evidence that USTA avoided implementation of measures to better protect athletes in the face of rampant sexual abuse.

Click here for the PDF document presented to Congress

Backed by dozens of documents from the US Tennis Association (USTA) showing a callous disregard for the safety of athletes, leading sexual abuse advocates are calling for Congressional intervention and an investigation into USTA leadership.

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School knew that Wilson was emotionally and verbally abuse with students

Kim Wilson, former teacher at Del Paso Heights and Twin Rivers Unified School District, is now accused of sexually abusing five students, some as young as six to eight-years-old. Some of the charges are supported by video evidence uncovered. The criminal complaint was amended following a lengthy investigation.

On January 23, 2023, Wilson was placed on leave by the District after he was arrested following a former student’s November 2022 report of sexual abuse. The law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard represents the former student in a civil lawsuit filed by attorney Lauren Cerri on her behalf.

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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.

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The law firm of  Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has launched legal action against Gilroy Unified School District, alleging negligent supervision of students that has resulted in unprovoked attacks being shared on social media platforms.

Representing a former student known as Jane Doe, the firm claims in the lawsuit that school officials at Solorsano Middle School were alerted twice by Doe’s parents regarding imminent physical threats to their daughter. Despite these warnings, an assault, later circulated on Snapchat and Instagram, occurred in January 2023. The video reveals an attacker, accompanied by friends who teased the victim, approaching from behind, pulling her hair, and dragging her to the ground before kicking and beating her. No school official is visible in the video at any point during this assault. The victim subsequently required hospital treatment for a concussion.

The victim’s parents, no longer trusting the school’s ability to safeguard their daughter, decided to enroll her in a private institution, incurring personal costs.

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It is believed that as early as 2007, Taylor Middle School teacher Matthew Garrett was allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with students. Law enforcement authorities recently revealed that the accused teacher, Matthew Garrett,  is now facing charges related to these incidents and others, including a student student who alleged that Garrett molested him between November 2021 and March 2022..

The charges against Matthew Garrett have emerged as a result of an extensive investigation carried out by the police. The probe was initiated following reports from victims who have mustered the courage to come forward with their experiences. These brave individuals provided crucial information, leading to the identification of the accused teacher and the subsequent filing of charges.

Call the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard if you are a victim of Matthew Garrett. Protect your rights and allow our attorneys to work for your best interests. 408-289-1417.

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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.

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