School sexual abuse claims in Orange CountyConfidential. 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 how a claim works. This page holds the Orange County record.

The statewide picture

The Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) reported to the Legislature on January 31, 2025, drawing on a 2023 Aon report with data from 14 public entity risk pools and districts. Claims originated in 48 of California's 58 counties. Five Southern California counties, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino, held 65 percent of the 2,079 claims reported, and 14 of the state's 25 largest districts sit in those counties. Children aged 13 to 17 were most at risk, with 14 the most frequent age. Half of the offenses occurred in classrooms. Teachers were the most common perpetrators, at 38 percent, followed by students, teacher's aides and coaches. CalMatters counted at least 1,000 lawsuits against California districts and counties under AB 218 as of July 2025.

Districts on record

Three Orange County districts have a public record that can be checked: a combined settlement over a coach, and a settlement over a teacher. Each has its own page. A district without a public record can still be responsible for what happened at its schools.

Irvine Unified and Anaheim Union High School District

KNX News reported on January 17, 2024 that two Orange County districts had reached a combined $4.8 million settlement with six women who said a water polo coach abused them when they were 13 to 17 years old. The coach was sentenced to prison in 2023. Two plaintiffs received $2.5 million from the district KNX identified as Irvine Unified, and four received close to the same amount from the district KNX identified as Anaheim Unified High School District. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts. Read the Irvine Unified and Anaheim Union High page.

Santa Ana Unified

Dordulian Law Group reported on September 29, 2021 that Santa Ana Unified had settled, for more than $1 million, a claim by a former Valley High School student who was 16 when a teacher began abusing her in 1983. The teacher was never prosecuted and died in 2004. Court documents cited in the report say the principal knew and did not act or report. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts. Read the Santa Ana Unified page.

The law in brief

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. One limit applies. 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.

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.

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, team rosters, 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

• FCMAT, Childhood Sexual Assault: Fiscal Implications for California Public Agencies, January 31, 2025
• CalMatters, July 2025, on AB 218 lawsuits
• KNX News, January 17, 2024, on the combined Irvine and Anaheim settlement
• Dordulian Law Group, September 29, 2021, on the Santa Ana Unified settlement
• Government Code section 815.2
• C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012), summarized
• Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School District (2021)
• 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
• CalMatters on SB 577, August 2026
• SB 577 bill status