Former students of South Pasadena High School who have alleged that they were sexually abused by a school track coach are scheduled for a final status conference in their case, the Pasadena Star-News reports. The conference was originally scheduled for March 26 and then pushed to May 14, and again to June 22 due to courthouse closures caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The lawsuit alleges that officials at both the school and the school district failed to fulfill their obligation to protect students from harm. The district denies that it can be blamed for any harm to the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2016. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages.

South Pasadena High School Lawsuit

The two plaintiffs, in this case, are identified only as Jane Does. They allege that they were sexually abused by Pierre Jonas Hernandez, who was South Pasadena’s track coach while the girls were students there. Both were minors at the time of the alleged abuse.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that according to the complaint,  Hernandez first molested one plaintiff beginning in April 2013, when the girl was 16 and a member of the girls’ track team. This plaintiff alleges that some of the incidents took place on school property, including a locker room, and involved Hernandez touching her inappropriately. After the incidents took place, the plaintiff began to experience mental problems and emotional difficulties which she associates with Hernandez’s abuse, the lawsuit states.

The second plaintiff claims she was also 16 and a member of the South Pasadena High School Girls’ Track Team when Hernandez began molesting her in 2014. According to the suit, some of the abuse suffered by the second plaintiff also occurred on school grounds. In at least one instance, the suit states, Hernandez “insisted that he give Jane Doe a full body massage in an underground boys’ locker room with nobody else around.” The second plaintiff has also experienced mental and emotional difficulties due to Hernandez’s actions, according to the lawsuit.

History of Abuse

Law enforcement charged Hernandez with sexually abusing a minor, though it’s unclear whether that victim is a plaintiff in the civil case. The Pasadena Star-News reported that Hernandez pleaded no contest to misdemeanor child molestation and sexual battery. 

In 2015, Superior Court Judge Jon Takasugi sentenced Hernandez to 180 days in jail, followed by five years of probation. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

School District Culpability

Lawyers for the South Pasadena Unified School District argue that the abuses allegedly carried out by Hernandez “are not imputable to the district,” but the plaintiffs disagree. The original lawsuit listed several district and school officials as defendants including Superintendant Geoff Yantz, South Pasadena High School Principal Janet Anderson, and Athletic Director Mark Zalin. Zalin was later removed from the suit. 

The plaintiffs allege that these officials had an obligation to monitor Hernandez’s actions and behavior around students.  The suit says the district “knew or should have known that Hernandez had previously engaged in dangerous and inappropriate conduct with children.” It also states that officials should have noticed Hernandez’s preferential treatment and alone time with the plaintiffs.

The suit seeks damages to cover the losses caused by the officials’ negligence. Judge Ralph Hofer has rescheduled the final status conference for June, but no trial date has been set.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.