Six former Mountain View School District students molested by a teacher won their lawsuit against the district and their ex teacher and were awarded $48 million by a jury on Monday, April 14.
The district will have to pay $36.2 million of the $48 million while the rest will come from ex-teacher, Joseph Alfred Baldenebro, according to the ex-students’ lawyers.
Baldenebro is in prison for committing lewd acts on students.
“Justice finally came for these six survivors,” Michael Carillo, attorney for the victims, said Tuesday. “Mountain View School District fought them for so many years without accepting any responsibility for the lifelong harm they caused. Shame on them.”
The ex-students, their guardians and parents sued Mountain View District, Baldenebro and Does 1 to 100 in 2018. The trial started March 14 and lasted a month.
The jury deliberated two days, said Nicholas C. Rowley, also an attorney for the plaintiffs.
“The impact of this verdict is a vindication of the child molestation victims against the school district that not only failed to protect them, but that also served as an accomplice in the molestations by its egregious negligence,” Rowley said. “ We believe that this jury verdict will serve to protect millions of other children in educational institutions throughout the country.”
The district ignored countless warnings, and predictably, a wake of child victims suffered the consequences, Rowley said.
“The district’s failure to act emboldened and enabled Mr. Baldenebro’s years of abuse, subjecting each of these victims to profound psychological harm, PTSD, and lifelong trauma that will stay with them forever,” Rowley said.
The boy and five girls who filed the civil lawsuit were in fourth and fifth grades at Miramonte Elementary School in South El Monte at the time of the abuse, according to the lawsuit. Baldenebro sexually harassed and abused Jane RY Doe between 2002 and 2004, Jane DS Doe in 2010 and 2011 then John Doe, Jane Doe, Jane GJ Doe and Jane DR Joe in 2016 and 2017, the lawsuit stated.
Baldenebro was a teacher at Miramonte Elementary from 1996 to 2017. There were four principals during this period.
Each principal knew that Baldenebro violated several school policies and inappropriately touched students but despite the many red flags that came up, he was never disciplined and allowed to sexually abuse his students until he was removed from the classroom in 2017, according to the plaintiffs’ trial brief.
From the 1990s to 2017, the district ignored countless warnings from various teachers and students regarding the inappropriate behavior of Baldenebro, the students’ lawyers said.
Principals gave Baldenebro written warnings in 2001, 2005 and 2010 but the incidents were not reported to any law enforcement agency, according to the trial brief.
The then-principal met with Baldenebro in 2005 regarding comments made by students about him. She addressed the following inappropriate behavior that included being godfather to at least three girls, having parents ground or discipline the girls, the girls feeling that he would get angry at them if they did not check in with him in the morning, girls being in his room at various times alone, taking the girls home in his car and kissing female students half way on the mouth and hugging them.
Teachers, other employees at the school, students and parents told administrators about Baldenebro’s behavior with students.
In 2004, Jane RY Doe told the principal that Baldenebro would keep her in the classroom alone with the door closed and that he would sit her on his lap, grab her, and kiss her, according to the trial brief. She also told the principal that Baldenebro seemed aroused in his pants.
That same day, the principal held a meeting with Jane RY Doe, her parents and Baldenebro after school. The girl repeated what she told the principal but Baldenebro accused her of overreacting, that he was just doing that as an act of love and care and said he just gave her a little kiss because she was his goddaughter, the trial brief said, adding Baldenebro dismissed the girl’s report that he seemed aroused.
The principal convinced Jane RY Doe’s parents that this behavior by Baldenebro was normal because he was her godfather and no action was taken after the meeting, the trial brief said.
The trial brief also stated that during the 2010/2011 school year, a 5th grade student complained to the principal that Baldenebro was touching girls inappropriately and she called him a pedophile.
Her parents also told the principal that Baldenebro would hug the students and touch their breasts as he put his arms around them. They said Baldenebro would tell their daughter it was OK to act bad because her parents would not notice and that she could have a boyfriend and kiss him if she wanted to.
The principal ignored their complaints and told them that the incidents did not happen, according to the trial brief. The parents also complained to the district office but were allegedly told that Baldenebro was a good teacher, a good person and nothing was going to be done about their complaints, the trial brief said.
Between 2001 and 2005, a teacher saw Baldenebro hug students and place students on his lap, according to the lawsuit.
A coordinator for an after school program during went to Baldenebro’s classroom, opened the door without knocking and a 6th grade student and her little sister were there. The coordinator saw the student’s sister pulling up her pants while the student was helping her put her clothes away and Baldenebro could plainly see them changing, the lawsuit stated. She contacted school administrators after this incident and reported the incident to Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, but no action was taken against Baldenebro by the district.
“The school district ultimately admitted its negligence in supervising Baldenebro, but refused to acknowledge the lifelong trauma suffered by the victims,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers said.
Rowley doubted the district will go bankrupt and said it has insurance.
The district issued a statement but didn’t immediately answer some questions including if insurance will cover its share of damages and whether any financial liability will lead to any cuts in programs or staffing and if the district has insurance.
“We are aware that the trial has now concluded, and the jury has rendered a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $48 million,” Raymond Andry, Mountain View School District superintendent, said in a statement.
“The Mountain View School District unequivocally condemns abuse of any kind and remains deeply saddened by the harm caused to our students and community. We recognize the impact this situation has had and continue to extend our deepest sympathy to those affected,” Andry said.
The district has taken steps since the abuse came to light to educate students, families, and staff — with the goal of preventing future incidents from going undetected or unreported, he said.
Since 2021, Andry said the district has implemented several measures to strengthen student safety and to ensure open communication within school communities. This includes “Be Seen: Be Heard,” which he described as a district-wide, age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention program.
“Through these efforts and our continuous work to meet the educational and safety needs of our students and families, we continue to encourage all students and staff to speak up and seek support whenever needed. Our door remains open, and we are dedicated to fostering a culture of safety, respect, and trust,” Andry said.
The verdict followed a trial that included controversy.
Rowley, supported by declarations from 16 attorneys, filed a motion to disqualify Superior Court Judge Mary Ann Murphy from the case, citing alleged favoritism in the presence of jurors, racial bias, and a lengthy history of abusive behavior.
A similar complaint was filed with the state’s Commission on Judicial Performance, which is responsible for investigating allegations and disciplining judges.
Rowley said since filing the complaint, Murphy’s behavior has markedly improved. “Judge Murphy worked very hard to be a fair judge after our filing, he said. “ She is an extremely intelligent and experienced judge who works very hard.”
Baldenebro was then 54, living in Montebello and still a teacher at Miramonte Elementary when investigators arrested him on June 21, 2017 for inappropriately touching girls at the school.
He was charged with molesting five female students on school grounds between August 2015 and May 2017.
Baldenebro took a deal. He pleaded no contest to one felony count of a lewd act upon a child and four misdemeanor counts of child molesting and was sentenced on Jan. 23, 2018 to eight years in prison. He also has to register as a sex offender for life.
In 2022, authorities charged him for crimes that happened on Oct. 1, 2010. It wasn’t clear from online court records how many victims there were in this case. Court records show Baldenebro pleaded no contest to three felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and was sentenced on July 15, 2024 to 12 years in prison.
The now 62-year-old will be eligible for parole in March 2031.
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