L.A. School District Settles Molestation Cases for $88 Million

The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to pay $88 million to settle teacher sex-abuse lawsuits involving 30 children and their families at two elementary schools.

The Los Angeles Times reported Monday evening that the settlement is the second largest in district history.

Gregory McNair, a senior attorney with L.A. Unified, told the Times the settlement was finalized over the weekend.

"We’re glad that we’re able to resolve both of these cases so we can avoid potentially painful litigation and put these cases behind us," McNair said. "We’re turning a corner here because we’ve resolved the last two very large cases that were involving the district."

The two teachers involved, Robert Pimentel at De La Torre Elementary and Paul Chapel III at Telfair Avenue Elementary, are each serving long prison terms after pleading no contest in molestation cases.

Plaintiffs' attorney John Manly told the Times the district's handling of these cases was similar to the Catholic Church's failure to halt abuse by priests.

“We feel this is an ongoing problem in L.A. Unified, and we hope this amount of money will promote a change of heart and change of attitude when it comes to victims," said Manly, who represents many of the students and families.

The De La Torre litigation encompassed 18 children and 19 of their parents (who sued separately). The Telfair settlement involved 12 minors. The agreement provides for a process to distribute the money fairly, but the average payout will be about about $3 million per family, including sums that two of the Telfair students won through a jury verdict last year.

Both cases came to light in the aftermath of Miramonte Elementary School and teacher Mark Berndt, who was convicted of committing lewd acts on students over several years. Lawsuits over the Berndt case resulted in a $139 million settlement in 2014.