A San Diego Superior Court judge ordered the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses, also known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, to pay $4,000 a day in fines as long as it refuses to produce documents in a sexual abuse case brought by former church member Osbaldo Padron. Padron’s lawyers had asked Judge […]
California Teacher in Court Facing 87 Sex Abuse Counts Against 20 Minors
October 20, 2015 By
A 33-year-old California teacher is in court on criminal charges that span more than a decade. West County middle school teacher Ron Guinto is charged with 87 criminal counts involving 20 minors that he allegedly sexually abused over 11 years, from October 2002 to October 2013. The former middle school teacher faces serious criminal charges […]
California Appeals Court Overturns Teacher Sex Abuse Case
September 17, 2015 By
A California appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that held a 14-year-old should be held responsible for a sexual act with a school teacher because she “consented” to the act. In its defense during trial, the school district argued that the 14-year-old shared responsibility for the sexual acts and had a responsibility to stop […]
Closing a Loophole in California’s Consent Law
July 23, 2015 By
Good news in California! A new law closes a silly loophole that allowed school districts to argue that teenage victims “consented” to sex with teachers. Now it is perfectly clear: A child under 18 cannot legally “consent” to sexual acts with a teacher, coach, or another adult in a position of authority. Outstanding! The legislature […]
Jailed California Boy Scout Assistant Troop Leader Faces Sex Abuse Lawsuit
April 25, 2015 By
Already serving prison time for sexually molesting two minor boys at a party, Dustin Hendrick, an assistant troop leader in Redding, California is now facing a civil sexual abuse lawsuit. Hendrick, along with the national Boy Scouts of America and the local Golden Empire Council of the Boy Scouts are defendants in the civil sexual […]
California Sex Abuse Lawsuit Reveals Dark Side of Local Church
March 10, 2015 By
As we know from hundreds of civil sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, the Boy Scouts, and other institutions of public trust, the officials in these institutions often instinctively chose to protect the perpetrators rather than the abused children. A recently filed sex abuse lawsuit in California demonstrates the point. […]
California Abuse Case: Boy Scout Files Admissible
January 12, 2015 By
Judge Donna Geck of Santa Barbara Superior Court has ruled that the Boy Scout files can be used in a Boy Scout sex abuse lawsuit. According to the Huffington Post, “Prosecutors, representing the family of a man who was abused at age 13 by a Scout leader, successfully argued that the files could show the […]
Governor Brown Vetoes Bill That Would Help California Victims of Sex Abuse
October 7, 2014 By
In vetoing a bill that would give childhood victims of sexual abuse an extended period of time to hold institutions accountable for the actions of child predators, Governor Jerry Brown wrote, “There needs to be a compelling reason to lengthen the statute of limitations for civil claims against third parties. I do not see evidence […]