$505,000 Settlement for Abuse Lawsuit Against Redlands Unified School District Teacher

A former Redlands East Valley High School student will receive upwards of $500,000 in a settlement made with the Redlands Unified School District. The claim addresses the alleged sexual abuse of a student by her teacher, who reportedly preyed on the student in sexually abusive ways. The case was first brought to light in 2011, at which time the educator, aged 32, was not charged upon the prosecution's review of the case.

Although the teacher has denied the accusations that have been made against her, claiming that she was falsely accused, the district has nonetheless agreed to pay more than half a million dollars for the settlement. According to reports from the case, the teacher, who also played the roles of counselor and coach at the high school, began engaging in inappropriate behaviors that included:

• Excusing the student from school
• Driving the student after her soccer practices
• Spending long hours with the student outside of school
• Engaging in what has been described as "sexual talk innuendo"
• Engaging in sexual activity that occurred primarily at the teacher's home in Yucaipa

To date, a final conclusion has not been reached as to whether or not the educator is in fact guilty of the allegations that have been made against her. Regardless, the district has agreed to pay the student a $505,000 settlement, and the Redlands Unified Board President has been quoted as saying that ending the litigation "is the right thing to do for our district, our students, and our taxpayers;" however, the president also stressed the fact that the district still firmly denies all allegations that have been made against the teacher. The district itself has also been accused of acting neglectfully in the East Valley High School case, being accused of ignoring obvious signs of the inappropriate contact between the teacher and student.

The scandal is not the first for the Redlands Unified School District. It was just this past July that another female teacher in the district, aged 28, was sentenced to a year in jail on charges of having sex with at least three of her students, one of whom had a child with the teacher.

Child sexual abuse in the public school system has become all too frequent in California and throughout the United States. If your child was victimized by a teacher, do not hesitate to contact a California child sexual abuse lawyer at The Senators Firm today. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we can be reached toll-free at 800-773-0849.