Taylor & Ring Obtains $14 Million Settlement For Two Women Sexually Abused By Middle School Teacher
— Settlement marks record payout by a school district in sexual abuse case —
Taylor & Ring obtained a $14 million settlement against the Moraga School District, retired Superintendent John Cooley, retired Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School Principal William Walters and retired Assistant Principal Paul Simonin for the repeated inaction regarding allegations of sexual misconduct by a teacher which led to prolonged sexual abuse. The plaintiffs (“Jane Doe 1” and “Jane Doe 2”) claimed they were sexually abused more than 50 times each by their science teacher, Daniel Witters, at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in the mid-1990s. Each settlement marks the largest settlement in the country by a public school district to a victim of molestation.
In January 2013, Taylor & Ring filed a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs alleging negligence, fraud and other charges committed by the defendants to purposefully conceal Mr. Witters’ troubled past and bury the numerous sexual abuse complaints from students and parents. The lawsuit pointed to several instances where school officials were made aware of Mr. Witters’ behavior, but no action was taken, and in fact, the district engaged in a careful scheme to deter any attention from the entire ordeal.
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