Manly, Stewart & Finaldi Secure $88M Settlement in Sexual Misconduct Case Against LAUSD

Posted on May 18, 2016     |     Firm News,John Manly,Los Angeles

Manly, Stewart & Finaldi have won a monumental victory for 30 families who sued the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) after it was discovered that two teachers had sexually abused and assaulted students for years at two separate schools. An $88 million settlement was reached – amounting to about $3M for each family and their abused children – with Attorney John Manly fronting the plaintiffs’ collective case. The settlement is the second-largest in LAUSD history, behind a $175M settlement for another sex crime case involving a teacher that concluded four years ago.

Both teachers in this recent story have been charged and convicted for their actions and are serving extensive prison sentences. Attorney Manly has said that he feels the monetary compensation should not only help the families find peace of mind but should also serve as a red flag to LAUSD that they need to improve their institution to better protect children.

LAUSD, which currently has more than 650,000 students actively enrolled in classes, has already begun taking action to prevent child sexual abuse in the future in light of the case’s close. The district is apparently working on improved reporting methods for students and faculty members when they suspect a teacher of wrongdoing. It also will begin stricter training courses and establish its own “special investigations unit” for whenever suspicion escalates to accusation.

The case brings attention back to a problem that has persisted for far too long. Past and ongoing child sexual molestation scandals involving the Catholic Church have been likened to this case.

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For more information about Manly, Steward & Finaldi and our work to stop child sexual abuse and compensate the families of abused children, you can contact our California sexual abuse attorneys today.