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Tamalpais Union High School District sexual abuse claimsConfidential. No fee unless we recover.

Tamalpais Union High School District settled with four survivors of a tennis coach in December 2024, after a Marin County jury found it liable in 2022 and an appellate court rejected its appeal in 2024. 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 Tamalpais Union campus, 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 Tamalpais Union

The San Francisco Standard reported on December 27, 2024 that Tamalpais Union High School District had agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle claims by four survivors of Normandie Burgos, a former tennis coach. Burgos was convicted in 2019 of 60 counts of child molestation and sentenced to 255 years in prison. One survivor reported abuse starting in 1999; the reporting places the others in the early 2000s. One survivor said under oath that a school administrator witnessed Burgos abusing him, did not intervene, made a joke and left the scene. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.

Status of the cases

In 2022, a Marin County jury found the district liable for failing to protect a student from Burgos despite evidence of misconduct. A state appellate court denied the district's appeal in September 2024. The December 2024 settlement resolved that survivor's claim and three others brought by survivors who remain anonymous. The article reports no admission of liability. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts. Other Bay Area districts are on our Bay Area page.

What happenedOutcomeDateSource
A former student sued over abuse by tennis coach Normandie BurgosMarin County jury found the district liable; $10 million awarded2022San Francisco Standard
The district appealed the verdictAppeal denied; $1.5 million in added interestSeptember 2024San Francisco Standard
Four survivors, including the trial plaintiff, resolved their claims$17.5 million settlementDecember 2024San Francisco Standard

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 Marin County finding is the shape of these cases. 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 three of the four Tamalpais survivors remain anonymous, 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, team rosters, yearbooks, photos, messages, and teammates 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

Can I bring a claim if I was on a Tamalpais team in the early 2000s and never reported anything?
Possibly, yes. Not reporting as a teenager does not bar a claim. For abuse before January 1, 2024, 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 need certificates of merit from an attorney and a mental health practitioner. SB 577 may change the rules for older claims, so check your dates with an attorney soon.
The district already settled. Does that close the door for other survivors?
No. A settlement resolves the claims of the people who signed it and no one else. The December 2024 agreement covered four survivors. Anyone else abused at a district school has a separate claim on the timeline above, and the public record of the verdict, the appeal and the administrator's testimony is evidence of what the district knew. Every case still depends on its own facts.
Will I have to face the coach in court?
No. Survivors do not have to face the abuser to bring a claim. Most of a civil case is records, written questions and interviews handled by attorneys, and three of the four Tamalpais survivors resolved their claims without their names becoming public. We will ask whether you want a Jane Doe or John Doe filing. If a deposition or trial is ever needed, an attorney prepares you and stays with you.
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