Edhat Staff
The verdict in a civil lawsuit found the Santa Barbara Unified School District was 80% at fault for the sexual abuse and grooming of a teenage student by a district employee, reports the Santa Barbara Independent.
Justin Sell, a former Dos Pueblos High School football coach and employee with the Santa Barbara Unified School District from 2008-2011, was previously convicted of sex offenses and stalking.
In court documents the prosecution argued that Sell used his position to groom and sexually abuse at least three students.
The Santa Barbara jury ordered the district to pay $25 million after a three-week trial. This is the second lawsuit against the district pertaining to Sell.
Sell was arrested in 2013 sentenced in 2014 in a stalking and sex offenses case involving a 17-year-old student. He pleaded no contest to felony counts of oral copulation of a minor, contact with a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense and stalking.
Based on a plea agreement, Sell served one year in County Jail, had five years of felony probation, and is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
During the trial the prosecution argued the school district was also at fault for the abuse, offering several examples to show that district employees failed to properly report any issues on numerous occasions.
Read the full story at independent.com
Disgusting. 1 year in county? WTF?
yea, I read the story.
How is it 80% the districts responsibilities.
Th school didn’t molest any one but we will all pay.
Lame.
Cope harder tink.
Who’s the HR person in charge if this stuff?? Oh yeah, Becchio – and he makes six figure money. Nice.
There’s 25 MILLION dollars that we’ve paid as taxpayers to go to our kids’ education that WONT made it there because SB Unified is run by clowns currently.