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Irvine Unified and Anaheim Union High sexual abuse claimsConfidential. No fee unless we recover.

In January 2024 two Orange County districts settled with six women abused as teenagers by a water polo coach who was later sent to prison. KNX News reported how Irvine Unified and Anaheim Union High School District split the payment. If this happened to you or your child, you can bring a claim. You can read this without contacting anyone.

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Josh Kohanim, Esq.Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Published · Reviewed

In this guide

You can read this page without contacting anyone. If you reach out, you do not have to give your name. Nothing happens until you say so. The school sexual abuse page explains the law statewide, and the Orange County page lists the county's other districts with a public record.

The record at Irvine and Anaheim

KNX News reported on January 17, 2024 that two Orange County school districts had reached a combined $4.8 million settlement after years of litigation. Six women, now adults, said a prominent water polo coach abused them when they were between 13 and 17 years old. The coach was sentenced to prison in 2023 for sexually assaulting teenage girls over several years. Two of the plaintiffs received $2.5 million from the district KNX identified as Irvine Unified. Four received close to the same amount from the district KNX identified as Anaheim Unified High School District. The districts' official names are Irvine Unified School District and Anaheim Union High School District. KNX did not name the coach, and this page does not either. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

The combined settlement as KNX News reported it on January 17, 2024. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
What happenedOutcomeDateSource
Two plaintiffs, abused as teenagers by a water polo coach later sentenced to prison$2.5 million from the district KNX identified as Irvine UnifiedJanuary 2024KNX News
Four plaintiffs, the same coachClose to the same amount from the district KNX identified as Anaheim Unified High School DistrictJanuary 2024KNX News

Status of the cases

The settlement resolved the six claims. Morgan Stewart of Manly Stewart represented the women. He told KNX the case "should have been resolved several years ago" and that the districts did not "own up to their responsibility until there was pressure of a trial." The women reported the coach, KNX said, to protect younger sisters and other girls in the program. A claim over abuse in a school athletic program follows the same rules as any other claim against a district. The questions are what the coach did, what the adults in charge knew or should have known, and which deadline track fits the dates.

Filing deadlines

The date of the conduct decides the deadline. Conduct on or after January 1, 2024 has no time limit, because AB 452 amended Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 to remove it. Earlier conduct follows AB 218. A survivor can file until age 40, or within five years of discovering that an adult psychological injury was caused by the assault, whichever is later. Survivors 40 and older file certificates of merit from an attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner.

No government claim is required first, because Government Code section 905(m) exempts these claims. SB 577 passed the Legislature at the end of August 2026 and awaited the Governor as of September 23, 2026. It may change the rules for older claims. Our statute of limitations page tracks it.

District responsibility

A district answers for what its employees do and fail to do within the scope of their work under Government Code section 815.2(a). In C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012) 53 Cal.4th 861, the California Supreme Court held that a district can be liable for administrators who negligently hired, kept or supervised an abusive employee. In Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021), the Second District Court of Appeal held that this duty does not depend on proof that administrators actually knew of an employee's earlier misconduct. Whether they responded reasonably to warning signs is a question for the jury.

Treble damages are not available against a public district. Section 340.1(b)(1) allows them when a cover-up is proved, but in Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court, decided June 1, 2023, the California Supreme Court held that Government Code section 818 bars that enhancement against a public entity.

A confidential first step

A first conversation covers only what you choose to share, and you can talk to an attorney in confidence. Many survivors file as Jane Doe or John Doe, courts commonly allow it, and we will ask whether you want that. Survivors do not have to face the abuser to bring a claim. A parent can make the first call for a child. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs.

Records to gather

Nothing here is required before you call. It helps to have the school and the years, the adult's role, team rosters, yearbooks, photos, messages, the names of teammates or friends who knew, and any earlier complaint to the school. Do not contact the abuser or the district, and do not post details online. Adult survivors can use our before you call checklist. Parents can use our after your child tells you checklist.

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Sources cited

Frequently asked questions

The coach was never charged. Can I still bring a claim against the school district?
A criminal conviction is not required for a civil claim. The claim is about what the adults in charge knew or should have known and whether they took reasonable steps to protect students. Under Doe v. Lawndale, whether administrators responded reasonably to warning signs is a question for the jury. Every case depends on its own facts.
Does the district answer for a coach the same way it answers for a teacher?
Government Code section 815.2 makes a public entity liable for an employee's act or omission within the scope of employment. FCMAT's 2025 report lists coaches and walk-on coaches among the perpetrators in school claims. Whether the coach was a district employee, who hired and supervised him, and how the program was run are among the first facts an attorney will ask about.
Do I have to give my name to ask whether I have a case?
No. You can call, text or use the confidential form without giving your name. The form asks how to reach you, whether it is safe to call, whether you already have a lawyer on this matter, and whether you are the survivor or a parent. Nothing is filed until you decide.
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