May 14, 2025
In a major victory for adult survivors of sexual abuse in the classroom, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will pay $24 million to three former elementary school students who claim their teacher sexually assaulted them in 2006 and 2007. According to the lawsuits, the LAUSD ignored numerous warnings about the teacher’s behavior, and as a result, the abuse continued unchecked. This case, one of the largest settlements in LAUSD’s history, shows the district’s failure to fulfill its duty to protect the students in its care.
The settlement comes on the heels of other high-profile lawsuits revealing a troubling pattern of inaction by schools, churches and youth organizations. In 2024, attorneys at Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel secured seven-figure settlements for two clients who were sexually assaulted by their teacher at a Los Angeles area middle school. According to the lawsuits, the teacher groomed the victims by giving them gifts, using pet names, and arranging private meetings behind locked doors.
A Path to Justice, Decades Later
These survivors finally had a chance to seek justice, thanks to California’s expanded statute of limitations for sexual assault claims. This change to the law in 2023 allowed survivors to hold abusers accountable decades after the trauma occurred. The extension of time to file claims reflects a broader understanding of how institutions have repeatedly failed to protect those in their care and an understanding that it often takes sex abuse survivors longer to come forward compared to other crime victims. Now, thousands of adults can finally confront the harm they endured as children.
The California legislature took the law a step further in January of 2024 by removing the statute of limitations entirely for new child sexual assault lawsuits. The new measure is not retroactive, so it does not apply to older cases.
Other states have followed California’s lead. For example, New York passed the Child Victims Act, temporarily lifting time limits and raising the age for filing claims, and New Jersey introduced similar reforms. Arizona also extended its filing deadlines and created a short “lookback window” for older cases.
The LAUSD settlement and similar outcomes highlight the urgent need for schools to take concrete steps to protect students, including:
Such safeguards are critical to rebuild trust, ensure accountability, and create an environment where students can learn without fear.
Monetary settlements provide survivors with critical resources they need to rebuild their lives, while also sending a powerful message that failures to protect children will not go unchallenged. Survivors of abuse deserve justice and a platform to hold institutions accountable.
How We Help Sex Abuse Victims
Our national sexual abuse lawyers work one-on-one with survivors, offering a direct, personal level of care and discretion. We use our decades of experience battling big organizations to fight on behalf of survivors, aggressively taking on those responsible for causing pain and suffering. If you are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, we can help.
Our Results
Historic settlement for over 1,300 survivors of clergy and adult abuse within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, marking a pivotal moment for justice.
A Philadelphia jury awarded a record verdict against ExxonMobil for failing to warn about cancer risks due to benzene in its petroleum products.
Confidential settlement for the wife of a Rhode Island man who died of mesothelioma cancer after exposure to window glazing compound contaminated with asbestos.
That’s the first question everyone asks. The truth is it’s impossible to know. But we can tell you this. Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel has what it takes to fight against big corporate interests and win.
