Six new alleged victims of child sexual abuse by a former Los Angeles Unified elementary school teacher who was the focus of previous large settlements have now brought additional claims against the disgraced educator.
The plaintiffs in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuits attended George De La Torre Elementary School in Wilmington and their teacher was Robert Pimentel. The lawsuits allege that the six were sexually harassed, assaulted and abused by Pimentel.
“The reckless disregard for the safety of children is evident, as LAUSD ignored and/or concealed the sexual assault of my clients and others by Pimentel,” plaintiffs’ attorney Morgan Stewart said.
A Los Angeles Unified School District representative said the district does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation.
According to the lawsuits, LAUSD ignored and/or concealed the sexual assault of the victims and others by Pimentel. In 2002-09, Pimentel received at least a dozen warnings to cease inappropriate contact with children while at LAUSD from a principal and other administrators.
But, the suits alleges, Pimentel was neither reported to the police nor removed from the classroom.
In 2012, five girls walked into the principal’s office and reported that Pimentel was touching their legs, backs, buttocks and private areas, the suits alleges. The young girls were told to let the principal know if it happened again, according to the suits.
The principal was obligated to report the abuse, and weeks later the same girls went to the police and an ensuing investigation resulted in Pimentel being arrested and removed from the school. Pimentel is a co-defendant in the new suits.
The LAUSD has previously reached multimillion-dollar settlements with plaintiffs who alleged they were abused by Pimentel and another teacher.
In 2014, the fourth-grade teacher pleaded no contest to molesting three students and another person.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights this week opened an investigation into the LAUSD “for policies that appear to automatically reassign teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students.”