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Sacramento City Unified sexual abuse claimsConfidential. No fee unless we recover.

In June 2023, Sacramento City Unified and the City of Sacramento settled with six survivors abused as young children in a Mark Twain Elementary classroom by an after-school program leader who is now in prison. Survivors of abuse at any district school can still bring claims. You can read this page without contacting anyone. Nothing happens unless you say so.

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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 decide to reach out, you can do it without giving your name. Nothing happens until you say so. If this happened to you or your child at a Sacramento City Unified school, the record below is public, and the sections after it explain what the law allows. The law in full is on our California school sexual abuse lawyer page.

The record at Sacramento City Unified

CBS Sacramento reported on June 4, 2023 that the City of Sacramento and Sacramento City Unified School District had finalized a $40 million settlement with five former Mark Twain Elementary students the week before. The city pays about 60 percent and the district about 40 percent. A sixth survivor settled separately for $12.5 million. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

What happenedOutcomeDateSource
Five former Mark Twain Elementary students abused in a classroom by an after-school program leader$40 million settlement, about 60 percent paid by the city and 40 percent by the districtJune 2023CBS Sacramento
A sixth survivor of the same abuser$12.5 million settlementJune 2023CBS Sacramento

Status of the cases

Both settlements are final as reported. The abuser, Joshua Vasquez, was a program leader in the city's START after-school program and a part-time district employee. He abused at least eight elementary students, some as young as seven, in a classroom at the school. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2016 to 150 years to life in prison. CBS Sacramento says the district has since added training and stricter rules against staff being alone with students. The reporting does not describe earlier complaints or what the district knew before the arrest. At least eight children were abused; the settlements cover six. A survivor who has not come forward can still do so on the timeline below. Other districts in the region are on our Central Valley and Sacramento page.

Filing deadlines

California has two tracks. For abuse on or after January 1, 2024, there is no time limit; that is AB 452, now Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1(p). For abuse before that date, AB 218 controls: a survivor may file until age 40, or within five years of discovering that an adult injury was caused by the abuse, whichever is later. Survivors 40 and older also file certificates of merit from an attorney and a licensed mental health practitioner. No government claim is required for childhood sexual assault under Government Code section 905(m). 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

The Mark Twain settlements were split between two public entities because the abuser worked for both. A public district answers for its employees under Government Code section 815.2. In C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District (2012), the California Supreme Court held that a district can be liable when its administrators negligently hired, kept or supervised an abusive employee. 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 the employee's prior misconduct. Whether administrators responded reasonably to warning signs is a question for the jury. Section 340.1 allows up to treble damages for a cover-up, but in Los Angeles Unified School District v. Superior Court (2023) the Supreme Court held that Government Code section 818 bars that enhancement against public entities. We do not promise it.

A confidential first step

Call, text, or use the confidential form on this page. The form has no narrative box; it asks how to reach you and whether it is safe to call. A Jane Doe or John Doe filing is common in these cases, and we will ask whether you want one. You do not have to face the abuser to bring a claim. We handle cases statewide by phone, video and travel. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs.

Records to gather

You do not need any documents to call. Our before you call checklist for adult survivors lists what helps: the school and the years, the adult's role, yearbooks, report cards, photos, messages, and friends who knew. Parents can use our after your child tells you checklist. Write down what your child said in their words, with the date. Preserve messages and devices, and ask the school for its written policy and its Title IX coordinator's name. Do not contact the abuser or the district, and do not post details online.

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Sources cited

Frequently asked questions

The abuser at Mark Twain Elementary is already in prison. Can I still bring a civil claim?
Yes. The criminal case punished the abuser; a civil claim is against the district and, where it applies, the city, for failing to protect children in their care. A guilty plea helps prove the abuse happened, and the civil case then turns on what the adults in charge knew and did. The filing tracks above apply, and no government claim is required first.
Does it matter that the abuser worked for the city's after-school program and not only the school?
It matters for who answers, not whether anyone does. In the Mark Twain settlements the city and the district each paid a share because the abuser worked for both. An attorney identifies every entity that hired, supervised or placed the person, and each one is a separate defendant with its own records. That work happens after you call, not before.
How do I start without anyone at the school finding out?
Call, text, or use the confidential form on this page. You can use any name, and the form asks whether it is safe to call you. Nothing is sent to the school or the district until you decide to bring a claim, and even then a Jane Doe or John Doe filing is common. You do not have to face the abuser, and you can stop at any point.
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