Gabrielino High School track coach Danny Harris Sexual Offense

Ex-Olympian Hurdler Arrested on Suspicion of Sexual Abuse
Gabrielino High School track coach Danny Harris has been arrested on suspicion of contacting a minor with the intention of committing a sexual offense.

Harris took home the silver medal in 400-meter hurdles during the 1984 summer Olympic games in Los Angeles. He has lead a rocky life, the contents of which were recounted in the documentary “Crossing the Line;” the tale shows his life unfold from a high level Olympian to a down and out drug addict, only to come back to form and walk the straight and narrow.

After retiring from competitive hurdling, Harris took up a role as the track coach at Gabrielino High School. He remained there for some time, until being removed from the position at the end of the 2017 school year, in May.

In June, Harris was arrested after an investigation stemming from a tip off that he was having inappropriate contact with a student. The San Gabriel Police Department is conducting the investigation with assistance where needed from the school district.

No further information on Harris or the investigation has been released at this time.

Filing a Claim
California State Law decrees that any administrator, teacher, aide, or employee of any school, child care facility, or learning center, must report any instances of sexual abuse against children to a police department or sheriff’s office. Sexual abuse includes intention to commit a sexual offense, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, sex acts with children or minors, molestation, or exposing children to sexual acts such as masturbation, pornography, and intercourse.

Minors are unable to file claims in a court of law; their guardians must file the claim on behalf of them. These sexual abuse claims, which are under a form of personal injury, can be filed in civil or criminal court. Criminal cases can result in jail time, while civil cases can result in monetary damages.

If you feel that you have enough evidence for a civil claim, contact Normandie Law Firm to get started on receiving compensation for your child.

Liability Information
With a civil claim regarding sexual abuse, you can point to multiple parties as being liable for the damages; the school district, for instance, can be held liable if it willingly employed a known child molester, knew of the acts but did not inform the parents nor the police department, or did not take reasonable care to provide safety to the students. You can place responsibility on both the school itself and the school district.

Further, the perpetrator himself can be dubbed responsible for the acts and be liable to pay for monetary damages. Keep in mind that a civil claim does not come with criminal charges or a possibility for jail time, so you would only be able to earn compensation for the acts. For some, this is punishment enough if there is a low chance the case will go to court and lead to a victory for the family.

Possible Compensation
Students who have been sexually abused by a teacher, school employee, or other student should make sure to inform as many people as necessary, including parents, guidance counselors, and policemen. In filing a claim, you can collect restitution on behalf of your child for the following damages:

Economic Damages: This can include medical expenses like hospitalization, surgery, medication, and physical therapy. Some sexual abuse may be accompanied by physical assault and battery, and it is important to be totally covered for any injuries. You should not be liable to pay for medical expenses if your child has been sexually assaulted in some way. Further, if any of his or her belongings were lost or damaged as a result of the assault, their monetary worth can be recovered.

Non-economic Damages: For injuries that cannot have dollar values placed on them. You can claim additional compensation for any emotional trauma your child may have sustained, including appearances of fear, anxiety, psychological damage, PTSD, and emotional scarring. These injuries may take a long time to heal, and should be treated with therapy.

Punitive Damages: It is difficult to attain punitive damages in civil claims, as many courts see them as unnecessary; however, their very existence has been included to further punish the defendant for his actions. In the absence of criminal charges or jail time, punitive damages seem to be a fair substitute; you can earn additional compensation from him or his estate. Or, more likely, gross negligence on the behalf of the school can be grounds for punitive damages, especially if they did not report any allegations or follow up on any tip offs. It takes a skilled lawyer to negotiate punitive damages.

Normandie: Here for You and Your Child
If your child has been sexually abused by a teacher or student while at school, do not hesitate to act. You are advised to immediately seek legal assistance in the form of police help and lawyer representation. Additionally, you should make sure that your child has no injuries.

At Normandie Law Firm, our primary goal is to keep you safe and make sure are healthy. In the aftermath of a sexual abuse incident, you and your child can become distraught, depressed, and worried. We do not want you to go through any more trauma, so we implore you to select us to represent you in court: you will not have to do any of the work, nor will your child have to relive the suffering by going on the stand. It is on us to win your case, and we promise that our aggressive lawyers will do everything in their power to bring you a proper settlement.

We offer all of our clients free legal consultations on their cases. You have no commitment in speaking to us and we will give you all of the information you need on filing a claim and what kind of settlement you can expect to receive. We will outline the process for you to make sure you have all the knowledge you require to make a well-informed decision.

Normandie Law Firm also believes that sexual abuse cases can cause undue amounts of stress and emotional damage for all affected parties. You should not worry about costs of anything while coping and healing; therefore, you do not pay any out of pocket expenses with our zero fee guarantee. You have no monetary loss in selecting us to represent you; our fees only come out of the settlement at the end of the case. If we do not win and cannot bring you any compensation, we do not ask for any payment at all. It is our responsibility to win the case for you, and it is your responsibility to be strong and recover.

To speak to an empathetic school sexual abuse lawyer in Los Angeles, call Normandie Law Firm immediately.

Other pages on our site relating to school lawsuits:
Can a school be sued for injury to students?
School bullying lawyer
School injury lawyer