Irvine, California – Attorneys representing another alleged victim of child sexual abuse by former John H. Francis Polytechnic and Boys and Girls Club Wrestling Coach Terry Terrell Gillard filed a new lawsuit alleging sexual abuse against LAUSD, former Poly Principal Ari Bennett, current Poly Principal Elidia Vazquez, and the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley.
The new Complaint asserts that LAUSD and its former and current Principals were complicit in Gillard’s use of school property and Boys and Girls Club facilities to operate what amounts to a sex trafficking ring involving high school students. It is alleged that Gillard used his position as a coach and Campus Aide to compel sexual acts between athletes from LAUSD schools and required students to submit to sex with Gillard in order to be part of the “Circle,” an elite part of the wrestling squads that he coached.
According to the lawsuit, the school environment at Poly during Gillard’s abuses was fraught with Administrative failures including the alleged mental instability of the school Principal, rampant sexual abuses by staff and students, racial animosities towards the Latino student population, and efforts to cover up and hide scandals to preserve the school image in order to maintain administrators' positions in the District.
The Complaint details alleged notices to LAUSD in 2015, 2016, and 2017 wherein Gillard was reported for repeated sexual misconduct, including attempting to pay others on campus for sex. Despite these failures, Gillard was not only allowed to remain on campus around minor students but did so without any additional oversight or supervision. The Complaint includes testimony from one administrator, Kirk Jeppson, who testified that the District “killed” his efforts to investigate Gillard for sexual misconduct, which he contended should have led to the removal of Gillard from the school site.
Attorney Morgan Stewart commented: “The litigation efforts have uncovered a school in turmoil. We now know that in 2016, LAUSD placed Gillard back into an environment with minor students following a suspension for sexual misconduct. They did not clear him of the allegations and made no efforts to warn students or their parents of the risks they faced at his hands. The only rationale for this behavior is a corrupt system that favors the protection of pedophiles over a vulnerable student population."
In response to the Gillard allegations, LAUSD and several of its employees have been reported to the State Attorney General, the California Department of Education, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing for their failures to protect the minor victims of Gillard.
“This new Complaint details horrific facts that show how little LAUSD has done over the years to protect students. After widespread abuse at LAUSD schools such as Miramonte, Telfair, Franklin, and Cahuenga, to have a coach operating a sex trafficking ring while district officials look the other way is the very picture of a district that does not care about anything but its own image," stated Ron Labriola, co-counsel for the Plaintiff in the newly filed lawsuit.
It is further noted that the Complaint alleges that the District employed and presently employs at Poly High School and other schools in the District several staff members who have been alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with students and staff, but the District has not removed those individuals.
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 Senators (Ret.) Firm LLP provides high-quality legal representation to victims of childhood and adult sexual abuse and their family members. The firm effectively seeks money damages in civil court for abuse-related physical and emotional injuries and also assists clients with counseling services, legal services related to immigration issues, and family law needs. The law firm recently won a $31 Million settlement for Torrance High School (California) wrestlers who were sexually abused by their coach. The firm also acted as counsel to dozens of abuse victims in obtaining record-setting settlements totaling over $240 Million for children who were abused at multiple Los Angeles Unified School District campuses.
