A lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles Unified on behalf of a 13-year-old boy, alleging the district’s negligence allowed a fellow student to sexually abuse the hearing-impaired plaintiff.
The plaintiff is identified only as John T.C. Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. An LAUSD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Tuesday.
The plaintiff was 12 years old and in the seventh grade when the alleged abuses started in 2023 at the Marlton School, a K-12 campus for the deaf and hearing impaired in the Crenshaw-Baldwin Village area, according to the suit, which further states that the boy was required by school rules to stay in the middle school portion of the campus.
The alleged assailant, referred to in the complaint only as John R.B. Roe, was 17 years old at the time, in the 12th grade and was supposed to stay in the high school area of campus, the suit further states. Students and administrators had previously seen Roe go outside his area and harass other students, including the plaintiff, but did not try to stop Roe’s wandering, the suit states.
The plaintiff was sexually abused by Roe four times on campus, the last time occurring last Nov. 9, the suit alleges.
Had the LAUSD adequately performed its duties and responsibilities, the plaintiff would not have been subjected to sexual assault and harassment, the suit states.
Although the LAUSD should have had a reasonable suspicion Roe was engaged in sexual misconduct with minor students, administrators failed to report him to authorities, according to the suit, which additionally states that Doe has suffered emotional distress and future lost earnings.