A 34-year-old woman is suing a now-closed private, Vermont Vista special education high school and its founder and principal, who she alleges sexually molested her when she was a student in 2006-09.
The plaintiff is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Wednesday against the New West Technical Academy and Andrew Manley. The suit alleges sexual abuse/battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of a duty to report suspected child abuse and various negligence-based claims.
Doe seeks unspecified compensatory damages against the school and both compensatory and punitive damages from Manley. A representative for Manley could not be immediately reached. The k-12 school located on Vermont Avenue closed in May 2018.
Doe was 15 years old and Manley in his late 50s when he allegedly began grooming her in the spring semester of the 2006-07 school year, the suit states.
“Manley complimented plaintiff on her appearance, sought her out during school hours, gave her money and food and regularly gave her rides in his personal vehicle to and from (the academy),” the suit alleges.
Manley took advantage of Doe’s fragile mental state during a particularly vulnerable time in her young life by sharing personal information with her and telling her about his sex life and other private matters, according to the suit, which further states that the alleged grooming and isolation of Doe occurred on campus in front of other employees and students.
Manley escalated his misconduct by sexually abusing her in the spring of 2007 and continued doing so until the spring of 2009, when Doe was 17, the suit further alleges.
Despite witnessing “red flags” that indicated inappropriate conduct by Manley toward Doe, school administrators allowed it to continue, according to the suit, which also states that Doe has suffered economic losses as well as severe emotional distress.