Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Published · Reviewed
In this guide
The record at Moreno Valley Unified
In October 2023, a Riverside County jury returned a $135 million verdict against Moreno Valley Unified. Two former students said Thomas Lee West, their sixth-grade teacher at Vista Heights Middle, abused them in 1996 and 1997, and that district officials should have known he posed a threat. The jury found the district 90 percent responsible and West, now in state prison, 10 percent. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
| What happened | Outcome | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Heights Middle: a teacher abused two sixth graders in 1996 and 1997 | $135 million verdict; reduced to $45 million for immediate payment | October 2023 | CBS Los Angeles; FCMAT |
| Canyon Springs High: alleged grooming and harassment by a campus officer | Filed as Jane Doe; active | January 16, 2026 | Panish Shea Ravipudi |
Status of the cases
The verdict did not end in a $135 million payment. A January 31, 2025 state report to the Legislature, which describes the case without naming the district, says the plaintiffs accepted a reduced judgment of $45 million for immediate payment rather than a ten-year hardship schedule. It adds that the district had four more pending claims involving the same abuser. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
The Canyon Springs High suit was filed January 16, 2026 and is active. The complaint alleges a campus supervising officer groomed and sexually harassed a student, that the district knew or should have known he posed a danger, and that mandated reporters failed to report. He was arrested December 11, 2025 on child sexual abuse charges. These are allegations. Nothing has been decided. Source: Panish Shea Ravipudi, January 2026.
Filing deadlines
Two tracks apply. For conduct on or after January 1, 2024, there is no time limit; AB 452 wrote that into Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1(p). For earlier conduct, the AB 218 rules apply. A survivor may file until age 40, or within five years of discovering that an adult psychological injury was caused by the abuse, whichever is later. Survivors 40 and older must file certificates of merit from an attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner. No government claim is required. Government Code section 905(m) exempts childhood sexual assault claims, so the six-month claim deadline for other injury cases against a district does not apply. 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 its employees. Government Code section 815.2(a) makes a public entity liable for an employee's act or omission within the scope of employment. 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. School personnel must use reasonable measures to protect students from foreseeable injury. In Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021), the Court of Appeal held that this duty does not depend on proof that the district knew of prior misconduct. Whether administrators responded reasonably to warning signs is a jury question. Section 340.1 allows up to treble damages for a proved cover-up, but in Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court (2023) the California Supreme Court held that public districts do not pay them.
A confidential first step
A Jane Doe or John Doe filing is common in these cases. Courts commonly allow it, and we will ask whether you want one. You do not have to face the abuser to bring a claim. Nothing you tell us is shared without your say. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs. Spanish-speaking staff answer the phone. The wider Riverside and San Bernardino record is on our Inland Empire page; the law for every district is on our California school sexual abuse lawyer page.
Records to gather
You do not need documents to make a first call, but they help. For an adult survivor: the school, the years, and the adult's role; yearbooks, report cards, photos or messages that place you there; the names of friends who knew. Do not contact the abuser or the district, and do not post details online. Our before you call checklist walks through it. For a parent: write down what your child said, in their words, with the date; keep messages and devices; ask the school for its written policy and its Title IX coordinator's name. Our after your child tells you checklist covers each step.
Sources cited
- CBS Los Angeles, October 11, 2023: the Vista Heights Middle School verdict
- CalMatters, July 10, 2025: the 2023 verdict against Moreno Valley Unified
- FCMAT, January 31, 2025: Childhood Sexual Assault, Fiscal Implications for California Public Agencies
- Panish Shea Ravipudi, January 2026: the Canyon Springs High School suit
- Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 and CSBA on AB 452
- Government Code section 905(m) and section 815.2
- Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court (2023), C.A. v. William S. Hart (2012) and Doe v. Lawndale (2021)
- CalMatters, August 30, 2026: SB 577 sent to the Governor and SB 577 bill status