Irvine California - Attorneys representing Jane RR Doe, an alleged victim of sexual abuse by former North Torrance High School wrestling coach Matthew Bautista, are asking the court to intervene in Defendant Torrance Unified School District’s (“TUSD”) inappropriate demands for a psychiatric examination of their client.
The lawsuit alleges that Bautista repeatedly engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex with Plaintiff on school property in the wrestling office because of a complete lack of supervision on the part of TUSD. Even with the knowledge that Bautista should not be alone with students, TUSD did not attempt to stop Bautista from sexually abusing, harassing, and molesting Plaintiff for months.
As a result of his sexual abuse of Jane RR Doe, Bautista spent more than a year in jail and was required to register as a sex offender.
According to Plaintiff’s Opposition to TUSD’s Demands for a psychiatric examination, Plaintiff Jane M Doe, Jane RR Doe’s own mother, testified that she had found Jane RR Doe and Bautista in the wrestling room with the door locked during Jane RR Doe’s Junior year (2015/2016) and had reported the incident to who she believed to be Bautista’s supervisor, head wrestling coach Bernard Schafer. Mr. Schafer informed Jane M Doe that he would “take care of it.”
However, neither Mr. Schafer nor TUSD “took care of” terminating the sexual predator, Bautista. He continued sexually abusing, molesting, and harassing Plaintiff Jane RR Doe into the 2016/2017 school year until Bautista’s arrest on October 14, 2016.
Jane RR Doe’s attorney, Cristina Nolan, said, “TUSD allowed Bautista to continue sexually molesting our client for eight months, even with knowledge Bautista should not be alone with students and with being informed by our client’s mother that she was potentially at risk. Now, TUSD is trying to subject this victim to an overbroad and inappropriate psychiatric examination, which could revictimize her. Our client has suffered far too much already. We are asking the court to protect her, which is something TUSD failed to do.”
TUSD has a history of sexual abuse problems involving minors in their wrestling program. In May of 2018, Manly Stewart & Finaldi reached a 31-million-dollar settlement with the district on behalf of 22 boys who were molested by Torrance High School wrestling coach Thomas Snider.
Manly Stewart & Finaldi is the nation’s leading firm representing athletes in child sexual abuse cases against school districts, Universities, and Olympic Governing Bodies. They recently represented 180 alleged victims of former Olympic Team doctor Larry Nassar, resulting in a $500 million-dollar settlement against Michigan State University. In 2018, the firm settled cases against the Torrance Unified School District for $31 million on behalf of alleged victims of former wrestling coach and convicted child molester Thomas Snider; against Los Angeles Unified School district for $8 million in cases involving former football coach and convicted child molester Jamie Jimenez; and for $14 million in cases involving former Los Angeles Unified District employee Ronnie Lee Roman. The firm has also settled $30 million in claims against Redlands Unified School District.
