SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - A Jane Doe is suing the San Francisco Unified School District, alleging a middle school teacher sexually abused her.
Attorneys Thomas Cifarelli and Mackenzie Johnson of The Cifarelli Law Firm in Irvine filed the case March 24 in San Francisco Superior Court. It makes claims for negligent supervision of students, negligent hiring and retention of teacher Donovan Harper and sexual assault/sexual battery, among others.
Harper pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery in 2017 and served two years in prison. The lawsuit alleges Harper abused his position at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School in 2016 while the plaintiff was 11 years old.
He hugged, rubbed, groped and fondled girls at the school, it is alleged. A fellow teacher saw or should have seen the behavior while they used the same classroom, the suit says.
"Some, if not all, of this sexually harassing and assaulting behavior was witnessed by various District employees, agents and/or staff, who were present and were supervisors charged with protecting the young, vulnerable children, yet negligently failed to stop or prevent the abuse from occurring," the suit says.