Lawsuit Names School District and Three Football Players
By Lynne Bronstein
Observer Reporter
A Culver City High School student has filed a lawsuit against the Culver City Unified School District in regard to sexual abuse that she allegedly suffered from members of the high school football team in December, 2013.
In the suit, filed on January 14 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the girl, known in the suit as "A.S." charges that in December 2013, when she was a 14-year old freshman, she was abused on the high school campus "multiple times between the dates of Dec. 4, 2013, and Dec. 23, 2013."
"A.S." charges in her suit that school officials were negligent in their supervision of students, as well as in their hiring and training of school employees.
The suit states that three students, all football starting players, who were "....in peak physical condition, extremely strong and physically intimidating," had coerced the girl to "hang out" with then in the campus parking lot during school hours. While listening to music with the athletes, the girl was suddenly assaulted and forced into performing various sex acts. During the days that followed she was again abused while a video was secretly made of the incidents. The video was passed around to other students, "spreading malicious rumors regarding A.S.'s 'sexual promiscuity.' "
"A.S." was also threatened by her alleged attackers in case she reported the actions to authorities. When two of the alleged attackers learned that she had reported the attacks, they confronted her and tried to get her to recant her accusations.
"A.S" states in the suit that she was a virgin at the time of the attacks. Since the incidents, she has moved to Chicago, changed school twice, and according to the suit, has attempted suicide.
According to Culver City police, one of the football players was an 18-year old named Jeremy Ray Weaver. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed four felony charges against Weaver, including three counts of illegal sex acts with a minor and one count of dissuading a witness; no charges were filed on any of the other alleged suspects.
Weaver posted $50,000 bail and on June 3rd 2014, he was convicted of one count of illegal sex acts with a minor. On July 8th 2014 Weaver was sentenced to five years probation.
On January 20, KTLA News Los Angeles ran a brief interview with one of the alleged perpetrators who asked that his face not be shown in the footage. He claimed that the sex acts were all consensual and took place in various locations including classrooms.
Judith Yedidsion, attorney for the alleged victim, says she stands by her client's story and that her client's age at the time of the incidents (14) means that "[e] ven if perpetrators are going to say that she consented ... she doesn't have the legal authority to consent."
CCUSD Superintendent David LaRose issued the following statement:
"We recently became aware of a lawsuit that was filed against the Culver City Unified District regarding an incident in December, 2013.
"CCUSD and our entire community believe the health, welfare and safety of our students is paramount, and we responded immediately and cooperatively to this incident with the Culver City Police Department.
"While I cannot comment about specific details regarding the allegations contained in the lawsuit, our District will remain unwavering in our commitment to protect the children we serve and respond aggressively to any action that challenges this priority."
Reader Comments(1)
timmessmer writes:
When a person has been convicted of a crime is the crime still Alleged as stated in the title? When you lift direct passages from other news outlets why don't you attribute the passage to them? Both the Attorney for the victim and the CCUSD Superintendent were quoted but their statements as presented were incomplete. Why were readers not made aware of this fact?
01/24/2015, 8:28 am