Mark Chavarria of Riverside, a 40-year-old male, and owner of Chavarria Institute of the Arts, was arrested On Tuesday after several young girls reported sexual assaults while at his place of business. The dance studio is located at 160 South Old Springs Road in the Weir Canyon Corporate Center in Anaheim.
The victims, multiple young girls between 12 and 14, reported multiple incidents of sexual assault by Chavarria while attending the dance studio. Detectives from the Anaheim Police Department immediately opened an investigation and arrested Chavarria on suspicion of multiple sexual assault offenses. He is now in Orange County jail, held on a five million dollar bond.
Chavarria has worked at many dance studios in Arizona and Southern California. Police believe there could be many more victims who were sexually assaulted by him and urge anyone with additional information to contact Anaheim Police Detective Carney at 714-765-1969 to discuss the information.
Sadly, parents and children alike trust dance instructors, coaches, tutors, and other adults to act responsibly and respect the rights and privacy of their children. But because dance training can involve touching young girls to help them learn the moves and poses, there must be greater trust in these instructors. Unfortunately, it means that a dance studio is a good place for a predator to lurk and take advantage of young girls in a setting that they assume to be safe.
If your young children attended Chavarria Institute of the Arts, worked with Chavarria at another studio, or you believe your child was sexually assaulted at another dance studio, the staff at Normandie Law Firm is here to help. Our expert child sexual assault lawyers offer free consultations to discuss the experiences of your child and their rights as well as yours as a parent. We are available 24/7 and will schedule a free consultation for you at your earliest convenience.
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Defining Sexual Assault Of A Minor
While the acts of Chavarria have not been publicly discussed and might never be public knowledge, it is easy to define what is considered sexual assault of a minor. This lude acts not only scar a child and steal the innocence of their youth, they can cause a confused and ashamed child to take actions that could have an even more tragic ending.
Clearly, penetration or oral sex with a minor is the most egregious acts of sexual assault. Many other sexual assaults could be suffered by a minor, including :
- Kissing, fondling, rubbing, groping, stroking private areas
- Forcing the minor to touch genitals
- Masturbating in the view of a minor
- Exposing genitals to a minor
- Communicating in a sexual manner via tests, calls, or messages
- Showing porn or sexually graphic material to a minor
- Extorting sexual activity from a minor
These are just some common ways a predator could use a child to receive sexual gratification. With the many paths and opportunities adults have to take advantage of children sexually, it is vital for parents to discuss the possibility of sexual assault with minors and encourage them to tell parents of any inappropriate conduct or contact by an adult. Then these incidents should be thoroughly investigated to ensure that these actions are not occurring, or if they are, they are immediately stopped. Coming forward to deal with this situation could be challenging and painful for parents. However, it is vital for your child to get the help and justice they need to recover and to prevent other children from suffering sexual assault at the hands of the same predator.
Please get in touch with Normandie Law Firm today if you have concerns about your rights as the parent of a child who might have been sexually abused by Chavarria or any other dance instructor or adult in their lives. The consultation is free, and we will provide the legal guidance you need to protect your child and their future.
What Is The Age Of Consent
In California, a minor is defined as anyone under the age of 18. In addition, it is vital to understand that a minor cannot consent to sexual activity. It is always the responsibility of the adult to set guidelines and boundaries to prevent sexual activity involving a minor. But sadly, many adult predators try to defend their actions by saying the child was a willing participant, sought out sexual attention, or even initiated it.
But the law clearly states that a minor can never choose to have sex or consent to sexual acts. Moreover, the responsibility for any relationship or action that is sexual in nature and involves a minor is the fault of the adult. So even if the child did not resist the sexual act or appeared to be a willing participant, there could still be legal grounds for a lawsuit against the adult involved.
California’s Mandate Reporter Laws
The California Mandate Reporter laws require anyone who works with children to report a possible case of child abuse, child neglect, or sexual assault or abuse of a minor to the proper authorities. This law covers teachers, coaches, school staff members, and those working in organized programs offered to children. If these persons know about, suspect, to try to hide evidence of any of these acts against a child and fail to report them, they could face six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
How Much Is A Sexual Assault Against A Minor Lawsuit Worth?
In addition to criminal charges filed against the adult who sexually assaulted a minor, the victim or their family can also file a civil lawsuit to seek compensation for the damage done by the adult. Some of the expenses that can be included in the lawsuit are:
- The cost of medical care required by the child
- Lost wages for the child or the parent or guardian of the child
- Pain and suffering endured by the child
- The cost of mental health care, counseling, or therapy for the child
- Legal expenses for the lawsuit
- Punitive damages
No dollar amount can restore what was taken from your child as the victim of an adult sexual predator. However, the money secured in the form of a settlement or verdict can help to ease the financial burden suffered by you, your child, and your loved ones while working through this difficult time. In addition, the money can help restore a sense of justice and allow you and your family to rebuild your lives.
In general terms, the average value of a sexual assault against a minor will also hinge on the acts involved and the level of trauma sustained by the child. In the event of forced sex acts or rape, the case could have a value between one million dollars to roughly ten million. The higher dollar amounts are typically awarded when the assault was over an extended period of time, and the predator was working diligently to cover up the abuse or was threatening harm to the victim if they alerted authorities of the assault.
How Long Will It Take To Settle The Case?
Unfortunately, there is no definitive time frame to offer parents of a sexually assaulted child or the victim themselves. Understandably, everyone wants to process the case as quickly as possible to move past this trying time. However, these cases can range from roughly six months to several years.
The most significant factor in the length of the case is the willingness of the predator to admit their wrongdoing. While the adult might even be willing to admit to the misconduct, if a more prominent organization like a school, sports facility, or national dance academy were involved as the adult’s employer, there could be more resistance to admitting guilt and settling.
The staff at Normandie Law Firm has decades of combined experience handling various types of sexual assault against minor cases. We will provide as much information and guidance as possible to help you make the difficult choices while pursuing justice.
The Statute Of Limitations
In child sexual assault cases, the Statute of Limitations varies based on the victim’s age at the most recent incident of assault. Abused minors have up to the age of 40 or five years after discovering the effects of the sexual abuse to file a claim. This time frame is due to Assembly Bill 218, passed in 2019. The bill also offers an added three-year time frame for victims whose window expired under the previous statute. To verify the Statute of Limitations for your child’s sexual abuse or if you were sexually assaulted as a minor, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Normandie Law Firm today for a free consultation.
No Upfront Legal Fees
As the victim of child sexual assault or the parent of a child who has been sexually assaulted, you have more than enough to worry about. So the staff at Normandie Law Firm is happy to provide our expert services with no upfront legal fees or expenses. We only get paid after we have secured the settlement or verdict that you deserve or your child deserves for all that was endured. And if we fail to win the case, you owe us nothing. So please get in touch with our expert sexual assault against a minor lawyers to begin to heal and move past this horrendous tragedy.
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