Dejaun Jones (37), a campus supervisor at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia (located at 900 S. Conyer St. Visalia, CA 93277), was arrested on suspicion of sex crimes against a 15-year-old female student, according to the Visalia Police Department. According to authorities, officers were called to the high school after a report of a school employee having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Youth Service Officers were called and later reported that the 15-year-old student had been exchanging nude photographs with Jones. In addition, they reported that Jones had touched the student inappropriately.
Jones was taken into custody the very next morning during a traffic stop. He was booked into the Tulare County Adult Pretrial facility and was placed on administrative leave by the Visalia Unified School District.
The situation remains under investigation. Anyone with any information (including other possible victims) are encouraged to contact the authorities.
Unfortunately, sexual abuse at schools is very common. It seems like every month, there is a new scandal at a new school – where the details are very similar. A teacher or other staff member takes advantage of their position to abuse students. If you or a member of your family were sexually abused at school, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. Based on the details surrounding the incident, you could have the right to sue.
If you are interested in learning more about the legal options available to you, contact us today. Our lawyers here at the Normandie Law Firm are more than ready to help you understand your rights and pursue your sexual abuse claim against a school.
The Right to Sue for Sexual Assault at Schools
Victims of sexual abuse at schools can have the right to sue for sexual assault/abuse. This is because schools (and school districts) have a duty to keep students safe. Unfortunately, these entities often fail to keep their students safe. Negligent hiring, negligent training, and negligent supervising, for example, can all contribute to student sexual assault. That is, failing to submit staff to background checks, failing to train staff on appropriate ways to respond to suspicions of sexual assault, and failing to ensure that staff is never left alone with students. In many cases, the school fails to take any action after receiving reports of sexual misconduct against students – leaving students at risk of suffering further abuse and also being victimized.
What does this all mean? If a school or school district failed to keep students safe, then they could be held accountable for all resulting harm. In other words, victims and their families could sue.
For more information about your right to file a lawsuit, we recommend that you seek legal assistance with the experts here at our law firm as soon as possible. Our lawyers are more than ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your rights and recover the settlement that you are owed.
What Compensation Can I Recover?
Sexual abuse claims tend to be high value claims because of the extent of the harm suffered. However, every claim is different so values can range significantly from case to case. In general, some of the categories of compensation available for recovery can include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Funeral and burial costs
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
- Treble damages
- Legal fees
Most of these categories are self-explanatory, which the exception of treble damages. Under California law, cases in which the sexual abuse was covered up are eligible for treble damages, meaning that the total recovery could be potentially tripled. Because of this it is common for case values to often reach and surpass the million-dollar mark. These cases can be worth anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million (and sometimes even more).
Here at our law firm, our team is committed to helping you get the recover that you are owed within a reasonable length of time. In general, we can settle these cases in under eight months, although it is important to note that some cases can take up to two years to settle.
The Effects of Sexual Assault
Sexual assault can leave victims suffering lasting harm, specifically, physical, mental, and emotional harm. Some of the known effects of sexual assault include the following:
- Unwanted pregnancies
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Injuries to genitals
- Injuries to reproductive organs
- Other physical injuries, including fractures, lacerations, etc.
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Increased risk of self-harm
- Increased risk of drug addiction
How Long Do I Have to Sue?
Under California law, victims of child sex abuse in schools have until the age of 40 to file their claims. There may be some exceptions; therefore, it is important that claimants seek legal assistance as soon as possible to learn more about the time available to pursue their claims.
Contact the Normandie Law Firm Today
Our lawyers have decades of experience handling sexual abuse claims. Unfortunately, school sexual abuse continues to be a major issue in California schools. Our team is committed to representing victims of child sex abuse in schools and helping them recover the payout that they are owed. We know that it can be difficult to decide to file a claim for sexual abuse. Even if you are not sure if you want to proceed with a claim, we urge you to seek legal help to better understand your rights. This way, whenever you are ready to pursue a claim, you will have all the information that you need.
Our team offers free legal services. These free legal services include free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our lawyers will be available to answer all your questions, address all your concerns, and provide you with all the necessary information to either begin or continue your claim. To benefit from these free legal services, contact us today.
Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients will never be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. In addition, we work on a strict contingency structure; this means that our clients will not have to pay anything unless their claims are successful.
If you are ready to speak with our Visalia school sex abuse lawyers, contact us today. Our team is ready to help you.
