LA school therapist accused of abusing, taking student to her home
The Brief
A mother is suing the L.A. Unified School District, alleging a speech therapist groomed and sexually abused her 13-year-old son.
The lawsuit claims the therapist took the boy to her home without permission and continued to communicate with him on social media.
LOS ANGELES - A mother is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging a district-assigned speech therapist groomed and sexually abused her 13-year-old son in 2022.
"I kind of figured it was something weird going on, but I didn't know for sure it was sexual," said Daphne Smith.
According to the lawsuit, the speech therapy sessions were supposed to take place at Marina Del Rey Middle School. Instead, Smith says the therapist took her son, who has learning disabilities, to her home without permission. When her son didn't return as expected, Smith says she repeatedly tried to contact the therapist.
"I tried calling her at 8:30. She didn't answer. I sent her a text. She didn't respond," Smith recalled.
She says her son wasn't brought home until nearly midnight. Smith immediately reported the incident to school officials and told the therapist to stay away. But she later discovered the woman was still allegedly communicating with her son on Instagram.
"She told my son she couldn't call him because she could get in trouble," Smith said. "So she was messaging him privately on social media."
When her son later went missing again, Smith filed a police report but says she knew exactly where he was.
"I knew he was with her. The phone he was carrying pinged at her address," she said.
"This case is about child sex abuse as well as grooming," said Dominique Westmoreland, the family's attorney. "The mother reported the therapist's conduct as early as July 2022, but it appears no one at LAUSD or law enforcement took her concerns seriously."
The lawsuit accuses LAUSD of negligence, negligent hiring, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and sexual battery.
Smith says her son has since admitted to having a sexual relationship with the speech therapist and that he continues to struggle with the emotional toll.
"He knows what she did was wrong. At the time, he felt like she cared for him, like she loved him—but he's a kid," Smith said.
LAUSD declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Smith says she is now urging the LAPD to conduct a full investigation into the allegations.
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