Advocating for Survivors of School Sexual Abuse in Los Angeles
School sexual abuse leaves wounds that reach far beyond a single act of harm. It shakes a survivor's trust in the adults and institutions that were supposed to be a source of safety. From kindergarten classrooms to college campuses, students across Los Angeles deserve legal representation that takes their experience of school sexual assault seriously.
At Cohen & Marzban, our Los Angeles school sexual abuse lawyers stand with survivors and families as they confront the schools, districts, and programs that failed to protect them. Whether the assault occurred in a public school district, a private academy, a religious institution, or a college campus, we bring more than four decades of trial experience and a willingness to take on powerful institutional defendants.
Every conversation with our firm is treated as private, and every detail is handled with the discretion these cases of sexual assault require.
According to the Los Angeles Times, LAUSD alone has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in school sexual abuse settlements over the past decade. This is a record that reflects both the scale of the assault problem and how aggressive civil litigation can drive accountability.
As a Los Angeles sexual assault attorney team, we walk with families through each phase, from the early review of the assault claims to the filing of a lawsuit and, if necessary, trial.
Types of School Sexual Abuse Cases We Handle
Sexual assault in an educational setting takes many shapes, and as Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyers, we handle the full range of school abuse cases that arise across LA's schools, campuses, and youth programs, including:
Sexual Abuse by Teachers, Coaches, and School Staff
We represent students harmed by teachers, substitute teachers, classroom aides, athletic coaches, trainers, counselors, school nurses, bus drivers, and custodians who exploited the access their position gave them. Teachers and coaches are among the most common perpetrators of school sexual assault because their roles offer regular one-on-one access to children.
Sexual Abuse Within LAUSD and Other Public School Districts
Public school districts, including LAUSD, Pasadena USD, Burbank USD, Glendale USD, Culver City USD, and Beverly Hills USD, can be sued when negligence allowed sexual abuse to occur or to continue.
High-profile LAUSD sexual abuse cases, such as the Miramonte Elementary scandal that ended in multimillion-dollar settlements, show how civil claims can hold a district accountable when its safeguards failed to stop abuse.
Sexual Abuse in Private, Charter, and Religious Schools
Private academies, charter schools, parochial schools, and faith-based schools are not above the law. When private schools conceal reports of assault, falsify records, or quietly transfer abusive staff rather than reporting them, we hold those institutions responsible for their actions.
Sexual Abuse at Colleges and Universities
We represent survivors of sexual assault by professors, athletic staff, campus employees, and fellow students at LA-area colleges and universities. These cases often involve mishandled Title IX investigations and can proceed in civil court regardless of the campus disciplinary outcome.
Sexual Abuse in Preschools, Daycares, and Afterschool Programs
Programs that care for young children carry a heightened legal duty to vet staff and supervise interactions with the children entrusted to them. Where management skipped background checks or ignored warnings, the program itself can be sued for the abuse a child endured.
Sexual Abuse in Youth Sports and Extracurricular Programs
Club sports teams, summer camps, dance studios, and music programs face the same legal duties as schools. When a league or parent organization fails to act on warning signs of abuse, we pursue the institution alongside the individual involved.
Sexual Abuse on Field Trips and During Off-Campus Activities
Schools owe a duty of care during off-campus activities, including overnight trips, sports tournaments, and field trips. When assault occurs in a hotel room, on a bus, or at an off-site venue, the school's failure to properly supervise often creates direct liability.
Sexual Abuse of Students with Disabilities or Special Needs
Children with disabilities are at significantly higher risk of school sexual assault, in part because they may have limited ability to report what is happening. When a special education classroom, aide, or therapist exploits that vulnerability, we pursue both the abuser and the institution that enabled the abuse.
Student-on-Student Sexual Abuse
Schools have a duty to respond when one student sexually assaults or harasses another. When administrators knew, or should have known, of the risk and failed to intervene, the institution becomes a defendant for the resulting abuse.
Warning Signs of School Sexual Abuse Parents Should Never Ignore
Children rarely come forward about sexual assault on their own. Shame, fear of getting in trouble, and grooming tactics used by abusers often keep child victims silent for months or years. Parents and educators should pay close attention to the following warning signs of school sexual assault:
- Sudden drop in grades, refusal to attend school, or fear of a specific class, teacher, or location on campus;
- Withdrawal from friends, family, or activities the child once enjoyed;
- Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, nightmares, or new sleep disturbances;
- Age-inappropriate sexual knowledge, language, or behavior;
- Unexplained gifts, money, or new electronics from an adult connected to the school;
- Physical symptoms, such as unexplained bruising, pain, or discomfort;
- Self-harm, eating disorders, or substance use in older students who have suffered abuse.
These signs alone do not confirm sexual abuse, but they are reasons to consult with both a child-trauma professional and one of the trusted sexual assault attorneys Los Angeles families turn to after suspecting assault.
What to Do If Your Child Has Been Sexually Abused at School
Learning that your child may have suffered school sexual assault is one of the hardest moments a parent can face. The steps you take in those early hours and days can protect your child's safety and legal rights at the same time.
- Get your child to a safe place: Make sure your child is away from the person who caused the abuse, and call 911 if there is any immediate danger.
- Seek medical care right away: Even without visible injuries, a pediatric medical evaluation, or a SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) exam, for recent abuse can document what happened and preserve evidence.
- Report the abuse: Notify local law enforcement and report the incident to the school district in writing, rather than relying on the school to escalate the matter on its own timeline.
- Preserve every piece of evidence: Hold on to text messages, emails, photos, social media exchanges, school correspondence, and any drawings or writings your child has shared, and do not delete or alter anything.
- Support your child emotionally: A trauma-informed therapist who works with children can help your child process the abuse in an age-appropriate way, so you don't have to lead those difficult conversations yourself.
- Contact a Los Angeles school sexual assault lawyer: A lawyer can explain your family's rights, protect your child's identity, and act quickly to secure records and evidence before a school has the chance to lose them.
Your child is not to blame. These steps are simply about keeping your child safe and protecting every option available to your family.
California Laws Protecting Survivors of School Sexual Abuse
California has rewritten its survivor-protection laws over the past several years, and most of those changes work in favor of people who experienced assault at school. As experienced sexual assault attorneys, we use every available statute when building a school sexual assault case.
- AB 218 and extended childhood abuse deadlines: Survivors of childhood sexual assault generally have until age 40, or five years from discovering that adult psychological harm was caused by the assault, whichever is later, to file a civil lawsuit.
- Adult survivor protections: Survivors of adult sexual assault have a separate window under California law, which can extend well beyond the date of the assault where institutional cover-ups delayed disclosure.
- Mandated reporting duties: California's Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires teachers, administrators, and coaches to report suspected child sexual assault.
- Title IX protections: Title IX gives students at federally funded schools and universities a separate federal cause of action when an institution mishandles a report of sexual assault.
- Government claim deadlines for public school cases: Suits against public school districts often require an early notice of claim, so reaching out to a Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyer as soon as possible preserves every option.
What Happens If the Abuse Is Online?
Not all school sexual abuse takes place inside a classroom. Increasingly, school sexual abuse begins or escalates online, through school-issued devices, official school accounts, social media, messaging apps, and gaming platforms. Online sexual assault can be just as harmful as in-person assault, and it raises its own legal and evidentiary questions.
Common forms of online school sexual abuse include:
- Sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos sent from a teacher or coach to a student;
- Grooming through direct messages that gradually escalate;
- Sextortion, where an adult or student pressures a child into producing sexual images;
- Requests for a student to meet privately outside of school after an online exchange;
- Sharing of sexual content within school-related group chats or team messaging apps.
When abuse occurs online, the school may still be liable, particularly when the conduct used a school-issued device, school email, or school-monitored platform. Schools have an obligation to respond to known risks on the platforms they put in students' hands.
If a district ignored a prior complaint or allowed an abuser to have continued access to students after a warning was raised, civil liability for the resulting abuse can attach.
Screenshots, account names, dates, and message threads should be preserved as soon as online abuse is suspected, and devices should not be wiped or returned to the school.
