Three female students that attended Rosemead High School have filed a lawsuit against the El Monte Union High School District for sexual abuse. The legal action ensued after an investigation by Business Insider reporter Matt Drange into allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple teachers employed by the district. Along with specific incidents of abuse, Drange uncovered years of poor leadership, neglect, and intentional misconduct by school administrators in response to these allegations.
Aside from the 3 women that are suing EMUHSD, many Rosemead alumni have come forward with information on the toxic environment that existed at their school. In his report “The predator’s playground,” Drange said that he “corroborated dozens of instances of sexual misconduct, involving 20 different educators, ranging from lewd remarks about students’ bodies to statutory rape.”
Based on records that were recovered by Drange, it’s clear that the district was fully aware of what their teachers were doing. Shockingly, they did virtually nothing to help the students and ensure that these predators were removed from the school system. In fact, one of the alumni Drange spoke with, who was identified as Barbara, said she was told “we don’t even get a slap on the wrist here for that” when she confronted a teacher about chasing after teenage girls.
What happened at Rosemead High is a clear case of gross negligence by the people in charge, and it’s about time that the school district was held accountable, along with the staff members that preyed on innocent children. Are you a former or current student at Rosemead High School or any other educational institution that’s part of the El Monte Union High School District? If you were sexually abused by an adult working at the school, we can help you file a lawsuit against EMUHSD and obtain compensation for the harm you suffered. Please contact our law firm to discuss your rights with a California school sexual abuse attorney.
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Am I Eligible for a Lawsuit if I was Sexually Abused at Rosemead High?
Many of the victims that reach out to us have doubts about their right to sue if they were involved in a sexual relationship with one of their teachers. Sadly, children are often made to feel that they are to blame when a trusted adult takes advantage of their innocence and lack of experience. This is particularly common among those who were groomed by the abuser over a long period of time.
Grooming builds an emotional bond between the two parties, and that’s why the minor is not as alarmed when the adult starts flirting with them and engaging in other sexually charged interactions. And some of these students are going through a tough time at home or at school, and the extra attention and time from a teacher is a welcome respite.
Slut shaming is another factor that can cause victims to be confused about their rights as a victim of sexual abuse. At Rosemead High, it was known that multiple staff members were having sex with the same student, and from our perspective, it’s the teachers that are at fault for preying on an underage individual. But others may turn on the victim because she is a “slut” that chose to sleep around with multiple people.
If you are struggling with shame and guilt over what happened, please know that as a minor, you lacked the intellectual and emotional capacity to make informed decisions about sexual activity. This is recognized by the laws in California, which clearly say that the age of consent is 18. That means any activity of a sexual nature between adults and minors is child sexual abuse. But even if you were 18 or older at the time, it’s very common for a teacher to use their position of power to manipulate you into a sexual relationship. That too, is sexual abuse, and you have the right to demand justice from the school district that failed to keep you safe.
In the next section we will talk more about the school’s responsibility to protect their students and how the El Monte Union High School District clearly failed in its duty of care.
How is a School District Liable for Sexual Abuse?
We mentioned before that administrators at Rosemead High were appallingly negligent when it came to accusations of sexual abuse by teachers at the school. And the investigation by Matt Drange shows that district officials were aware of at least 20 educators who were alleged to have sexual interactions with students. These records cover a span of several decades, and they detail disturbing incidents of sexual harassment, solicitation, and assault.
So, what did school administrators and EMUHSD officials do while all this was going on, at least as far back as the 1990s? Did they call the police, conduct an investigation, or remove the teacher from the campus, at least while the investigation was pending? Once credible evidence of abuse was discovered, did they fire the teacher and work with the victim and their family to ensure that justice was served?
Sadly, the answer is no, which is not a problem that’s isolated to Rosemead High. Instead of looking out for their students, leadership at the school was clearly more concerned about their reputation, benefits, and paychecks. From what we can tell, the only action taken by the school was “passing the trash” to someone else, meaning they would move the child predator to another school within the district. If they kept committing offenses against minors, they would convince the teacher to leave the district altogether, but the reason for their dismissal was never revealed. As a result, these educators found jobs in other school districts, where they most certainly continued the pattern of sexual assault and harassment.
Along with making the abuser someone else’s problem, Matt Drange’s investigation indicates that the school district destroyed certain records pertaining to sexual abuse, which may be a violation of California law based on how old the records were. Frankly, the neglect and reckless disregard for their students is appalling, and it makes perfect sense why EMUHSD should be sued by those who were sexually abused by teachers at one of the district schools.
To learn more about the process of suing a California school district for sexual exploitation and other forms of child abuse, contact our office to schedule a free consultation.
Is there a Class Action Lawsuit against the El Monte Union High School District?
Keeping in mind that records of sexual misconduct by Rosemead High teachers go back to the 1990s, it stands to reason that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of students who are living with the scars of sexual abuse. These victims deserve restitution from the school district, so it’s more than likely that we will see a class action lawsuit against EMUSHD in the near future.
But you still have to ask yourself: Is joining a lawsuit with other victims the right choice for me? What are the pros and cons of filing a class action claim for sexual abuse at Rosemead High? If I’m interested in filing a claim, how can I join a El Monte Union High School District class action lawsuit?
The sexual abuse lawyers of Normandie can help you with these questions and any other concerns you have about the legal process. For a free case review with a school sexual abuse class action attorney, contact us today.
Statute of Limitation to Sue for Sexual Abuse at Rosemead High
Victims who were 18 years old at the time must file a lawsuit within 10 years of the last incident of assault / abuse. But anyone younger than 18 can file a claim against the school district within 22 years of their 18th birthday. The age of 40 is more than enough time for some people to sue a school district for sexual misconduct by their staff members. But there is a legal exception that can be made for those who are older than 40, which is known as the discovery rule.
The discovery rule is a legal concept that has to do with bodily harm and emotional trauma that is not realized by the victim at the point of the incident. You see this with car accidents, where someone may be diagnosed with a brain injury many months after the crash. For those who are abused as children, the injuries are usually of a psychological nature, but it can take years for the victim to understand how they were impacted by these events.
For many of the clients we have helped, they did not realize that what happened to them was abuse until they were well into adulthood. But even the ones that are aware of this fact have spent a lifetime suppressing these incidents instead of seeking help from the police or a therapist. This is understandable if the child was made to feel ashamed or scared, or if people they went to for help did not react appropriately, which is exactly what you find when you look into the allegations against teachers at Rosemead High.
Acknowledging the abuse and discovering how their mental health issues are tied to these events may not happen until the victim is past the age of 40. Fortunately, you are allowed to file a lawsuit within 5 years from whenever you make the connection, no matter how old you are.
We don’t blame you if you are confused by this information, but don’t worry – our legal team is here if you need help figuring out the deadline to sue for sexual abuse by a school teacher. Please take a minute to contact us and speak with a lawyer that specializes in child sex abuse cases.
Rosemead High Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Case Values
Compensation awards for child sexual abuse victims often range from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 if there were multiple incidents of abuse over an extended period of time. Depending on the severity of injuries to the victim and negligence by the school system, settlements may exceed $10,000,000, though 8-figure payouts on behalf of a single victim are extremely rare. Not everyone is due 7 figures in damages; sometimes, a settlement of $400,000 to $750,000 is adequate based on the victim’s experience and how the abuse affected their lives. If you’d like to find out the amount of compensation that you are entitled to from a Rosemead High sex abuse claim, please call our office and talk to a lawyer that can sue the El Monte Unified High School District.
How Long Does it Take to Settle a School District Sexual Abuse Case?
Reaching a settlement with a school district or any other public entity usually takes anywhere from 12 to 24 months. If you are part of a major class action lawsuit with hundreds or thousands of members, it’s possible that receiving your payment will take 2 to 3 years. You can expect case timelines to exceed 3 years if we need to try your case in court. Please note that this is a rare event, as we are able to settle over 95% of all lawsuits by engaging in direct negotiations with the school district.
Frankly, it’s impossible to determine just how long it will take before we can achieve a favorable settlement on your behalf. But we would say 1 to 2 years is a reasonable amount of time based on several decades of representing victims of physical and/or sexual abuse.
Contact Normandie Law Firm
The neglect by officials at Rosemead High has been described as a systemic failure, and there’s no denying that the school district played a critical role in the abuse of countless girls and boys. If you were victimized by the culture of sexual abuse at a EMUHSD school, please consider meeting with us to discuss your rights and legal options.
By speaking with our legal experts, you can make an informed choice on filing a lawsuit against the El Monte Union High School District. If you decide to file a claim, our law firm will represent you for $0 and seek payment directly from the school district. And with the Zero Fee Guarantee, the only way we get paid is by winning your case. That means you lose absolutely nothing in the event we fail to secure your settlement from a school sexual abuse lawsuit.
It all starts with a free case evaluation, which you can schedule by contacting our law firm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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