Desert Sands USD Will Pay $1.5 Million to Taylor & Ring Client Who Was Molested by Robert Keith Bryan
Taylor & Ring always fights for justice for our clients. That is why we are proud to announce that the Desert Sands Unified School District has agreed to settle a lawsuit against them, on behalf of a former student who was molested while she attended school there, for $1.5 million. The Desert Sun quoted her attorney, David Ring:
“This amount was something that was in the best interest of this girl, so she could get closure, avoid a trial and move on with her life. But anyone will tell you there is no amount of money that will compensate a child for being sexually abused by an adult.”
Desert Sands Unified settled another lawsuit against them, in 2016, which alleged that Robert Keith Bryan had molested a student. There are currently three more lawsuits pending against the district. The Desert Sun reports that another dozen students are currently speaking with attorneys about filing lawsuits
A three-decade long history of sexual abuse of students
In March of this year, we discussed another piece of exemplary reporting by The Desert Sun, an in-depth piece about the trail of victims Bryan – and, though their decision to simply pass Bryan from school to school, Desert Sands Unified – left in their wake.
In their report, The Desert Sun stated that the first accusation of sexual abuse against Bryan came in 1985, when he worked for Coachella Valley Unified:
“Over a 34-year career in Coachella Valley Unified and Desert Sands Unified schools, Bryan was allowed to continue teaching despite 15 students reporting him for inappropriate touching over five separate occasions. Bryan kept teaching until 2012, when he was arrested for touching eight more students, then resigned amid a police investigation that eventually sent him to prison.”
Desert Sands Unified is not an isolated district: this type of abuse and sexual misconduct is systemic in our school districts. It’s call “passing the trash,” and it is the reason we continue to fight so hard for our clients. Children who have been failed by the system, who have been hurt and abused by the very people they have been taught to trust, need advocates on their side. They need people who will fight for them every day, in courtrooms and in classrooms.
There is no settlement award that can ever make up for what Robert Keith Bryan did to our client, or for what Desert Sands Unified did by failing to keep her safe. What this award can do, however, is help our client continue to get the help she needs, and to give her at least some security for her future. It is literally the least Desert Sands Unified can do.
Taylor & Ring will continue to fight on behalf of sexual abuse victims in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. If you are a victim of Robert Keith Bryan, or by any educator, please contact Taylor & Ring. Dave Ring or Jim Lewis have handled this case from the beginning; their work has helped to expose Desert Sands Unified’s actions, as well as the actions of other school districts throughout the state. Please fill out our contact form, or call us at 310.776.6390.
David Ring is a nationally renowned plaintiff’s personal injury trial attorney and has obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of seriously-injured individuals or families who have lost a loved one in a tragic accident. For more than 20 years, he has represented victims of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, assault, molestation and sexual misconduct in cases against a variety of employers and entities, including schools, churches and youth organizations.
He prides himself on providing aggressive, yet compassionate representation for children who have been sexually abused and women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted. Read more about David M. Ring.