Los Angeles Unified sexual abuse claimsConfidential. No fee unless we recover.

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 Los Angeles County page lists the county's other districts with a public record.

The record at Los Angeles Unified

The Los Angeles Times reported on February 21, 2026 that about 370 people came forward with childhood sexual assault claims against the district between January 1, 2020 and mid-2025 under AB 218. To pay them, the school board approved $500 million in judgment obligation bonds on June 3, 2025 and $250 million more in February 2026. The Times put the cost of both bond issues, with financing, at more than $1 billion. LAist reported that the June 2025 authorization passed without comment or a public presentation. Judgment obligation bonds need no voter approval, and the district draws them down as claims arise. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

Mark Berndt taught at Miramonte Elementary from 1979 to 2011, was arrested in 2012, and pleaded no contest in 2013 to 23 counts of lewd conduct. He is serving a 25-year sentence. The Times reported on April 30, 2026 that the district agreed to pay $30.5 million to 19 more former students, bringing the amount paid in connection with his crimes to more than $200 million. At Langdon Avenue Elementary in North Hills, three women who said their third-grade teacher abused them in 2006 and 2007 settled for $24 million in 2024. That report says the district had received prior complaints about the teacher. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

Status of the cases

More than 275 of the district's claims were active as of mid-2025, the most recent figure the district had provided when the Times reported in February 2026. The district would not tell LAist how many claims it faced, how many had settled, or what they had cost. One district case also set a statewide rule. In Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court, decided June 1, 2023, the California Supreme Court held that the treble damages provision in Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1(b)(1) cannot be imposed on a public entity. Government Code section 818 bars damages that are primarily punitive. A claim against the district is for the survivor's actual harm, not a tripled award.

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.

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, yearbooks, report cards, photos, messages, the names of 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.

Sources cited

• Los Angeles Times, February 21, 2026, on the district's second bond authorization (via AOL)
• LAist, June 2025, on the first bond authorization
• Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2026, on the Miramonte settlements (via AOL)
• Lawsuit Information Center, California sexual abuse settlements, including Langdon Avenue Elementary
• Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court (Cal. June 1, 2023)
• Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1
• California School Boards Association on AB 452
• Government Code section 905
• Government Code section 815.2
• C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012), summarized
• Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021)
• CalMatters on SB 577, August 2026
• SB 577 bill status