Category : Sexual Abuse

Questions over Delayed Conviction in Ventura County Sexual Abuse case

Ventura County school officials had raised concerns about a sexual abuse case where a child was abused by a school board member at least two years before the abuse perpetrator was finally charged for his crimes.

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Clergy Group Lists Steps Children and Parents Can Take to Prevent Sexual Abuse

Rocked by a series of child sexual abuse scandals, the US Catholic church is taking steps to help children and their families prevent sexual abuse. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Child Protection has issued a 10-point list which includes steps to prevent sexual abuse of children by clergy members.

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Boy Scout Files Reveal Details of Sexual Abuse, Cover up

For the first time, Americans and sexual abuse lawyers are getting a peek into the secret world of sexual abuse in the Boy Scout organization. The details are contained in hundreds of documents that have now been made accessible to a jury in a sexual abuse lawsuit in Portland, Oregon.

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Marriott Distances Itself from Franchise Hotel’s Rape Defense in Premises Liability Lawsuit

According to the Washington Post, the Marriott International Chain isn’t too happy with a premises liability defense one of its franchise hotels employed – that a woman who was raped in front of her children in the hotel’s parking garage, failed to exercise due care.

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Los Angeles Students to Receive $1.6 Million in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

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Martial Arts Coach Sentenced to 30 Years for Assault

A martial arts coach, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Lakewood earlier this year, has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison.

On January 23^rd, Jonathan Allen Gamond stopped the victim as she walked with another girl in Lakewood. According to the victim, he identified himself as a police officer and drove the girl to Seal Beach where he assaulted her. Gamond was arrested in Lakewood by sheriff deputies 13 days after the attack.  On June 24^th, Gamond pleaded no contest to four counts. Gamond’s attorneys have denied that he impersonated a police officer during the assault, but deputy district attorney Diana Martinez and a detective from the Los Angeles Sheriff Department have confirmed that Gamond identified himself to the two girls as a police officer.

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Premises Safety Issues at Orange County Hospitals

Two Orange County hospitals have been fined for several patient safety violations that include premises safety problems.

UC Irvine Medical Center and St. Jude Medical Center are among 13 medical facilities in California who have been penalized by the State Department of Public Health. The penalties relate to incidents that occurred in 2007 and 2008. The premises safety allegations relate to incidents of abuse of female patients by male nursing assistants. According to an investigative report, UC Irvine Medical Center was fined $50,000 for two separate premises safety violations. The first case relates to sexual abuse. According to state documents, the employee in question was allowed to continue work for three days before being placed on leave. When state investigators asked UCI staff why the employee was allowed to stay on, staff replied that there had never been complaints against him before the abuse was reported. The case has been referred to the DA’s office and the medical center has suspended the nurse.

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Ex Priest Files Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

A former Roman Catholic priest has filed a lawsuit in the Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, accusing another former priest of sexual abuse when he was a teenager.

In the lawsuit, Ben Rodriguez claims the abuse took place when he was between the age of 15 and 18 in the rectory of a La Habra church. The lawsuit alleges that the accused priest Gordon Pillon gave Rodriguez sleeping pills to sedate him before abusing him. The lawsuit does not name Pillon, but Rodriguez identified the accused at a news conference on Monday near the Orange Diocese.

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Huntington Beach Man Sentenced to 62 Years For Sexual Assault of Octogenarian

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Santa Maria School Principal gets Bail on Molestation Charges

The principal of a school in Santa Maria, who was arrested on suspicion of molestation, was released after she posted bail last week.

Brookann Collier, the principal of Tunnell Elementary School, was arrested last week at her home on suspicion of the molestation of a teenage girl several years ago. The victim had been a student at an elementary school at the time the abuse took place. During that period, Collier was a teacher at the same school. The relationship was apparently sexual, and began when the teenage victim was 14 years old. According to police, the relationship continued through 2009. The school, where Collier befriended the victim, remains unidentified. The victim who is now 20 years of age, reportedly told police that the abuse began in 2004. It is not known if Collier actually taught the student during the time the alleged molestation took place.

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