Latest news with #Stewart&Finaldi
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lawyers claim 15 teachers in one SoCal district allegedly sexually assaulted students as $2M verdict reached
A $2 million verdict was reached in a lawsuit filed against the Barstow Unified School District that claimed a teacher sexually assaulted an elementary school student in 1984, and lawyers representing victims state that the district has a 'long and sordid history of allowing sexual predators to molest children in its schools.' According to the firm representing the victim in the 1984 case, Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, a Cameron Elementary School student listed as 'Jane BNS Doe' was 12 years old when she was sexually abused, molested and harassed by a teacher named John Chiarella. 'It was alleged that Chiarella rubbed and touched the child over and under her clothes in a sexual manner,' the firm said in a statement. Chiarella taught at Cameron Elementary from 1980 until he was arrested in 1999. Girl, 4, allowed to stay in U.S. for lifesaving care after deportation controversy 'He was placed on probation and served no jail time but had to register as a sex offender,' the statement reads. 'Jane BNS Doe is one of 10 of his alleged victims represented by [the firm, and] nine other cases are awaiting trial.' Legal documents indicate that Chiarella is now deceased; he was 68 when he was arrested in 1999, according to a report from the Desert Dispatch, which also indicated no charges were immediately filed against him. 'The lawsuit alleged that Barstow Unified could not provide any evidence that they conducted a background check prior to hiring Chiarella nor train their staff to recognize the grooming behavior conducted in the open by Chiarella in his classroom and on school grounds,' the firm representing the victims said. The suit named 15 different teachers alleged to have sexually abused and molested children within the district's elementary, middle and high schools. John Manly, the 1984 victim's attorney, said that a school official 'lashed out' at lawyers during the court proceedings, calling them 'dogs' in open court. 2 California hotel guests awarded $2 million in bed bug lawsuit 'This utter disregard for the judicial process and the safety of children explains why Barstow Unified has allowed at least 15 predators to molest children during the past 40 years,' Manly said. 'This jury sent a message that change is mandatory.' Manly, Stewart & Finaldi has represented many victims of high-profile sex abuse lawsuits, including cases involving ex-Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar, former USC gynecologist George Tyndall and former UCLA gynecologist/oncologist James Heaps. They were also the lead attorneys for Miramonte Elementary School sex abuse scandal victims. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Reams of documents related to L.A. County sex abuse cases never turned over, lawyers say
Thousands of documents that could contain key details about rampant sexual abuse inside a defunct Santa Clarita detention camp — including so-called 'grooming drawings' — were left scattered inside the facility and never turned over to attorneys for those who alleged they had been abused as children, according to a firm suing L.A. County over the decades-old incidents. As part of the preparation for a looming June trial, attorneys with law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi had arranged April 15 to visit Camp Scott, a shuttered L.A. County probation camp where many of their clients say they were sexually abused as children. Inside the facility were reams of records that the county should have turned over to the firm more than a year ago through discovery, said attorney Courtney Thom, whose firm has about 150 civil cases alleging sexual abuse by county probation staff. 'You can understand my shock when I'm walking through where my clients got raped as children, and there are documents everywhere,' Thom said at a Monday superior court hearing in downtown Los Angeles. Thom said she discovered thousands of paper grievances, a locked file cabinet labeled 'Personnel Files CAMPS A – W,' and a drawing she believed was signed by Thomas Jackson — a probation deputy accused by at least 20 women of sexually assaulting them at the camp. The drawing, included in a court filing, was of the name 'TAMI' in big, block orange letters and appeared to be signed by a 'Jackson. T.' Attorney James Sargent, who is representing the county and accompanied Thom for the tour last week, called her claims 'inflammatory and incorrect.' 'They want to air what they deem as dirty laundry,' said Sargent, who told L.A. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff that the personnel files they discovered had nothing to do with the staff named in the lawsuits. Nor did the drawing, he said. Tami Wilson, a former supervisor at the camp, told him she recalled being given the hand-drawn card by a youth, he wrote in a court filing. The county announced earlier this month they planned to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of alleged sexual abuse inside the county's juvenile facilities and foster homes. The settlement — believed to be the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history — arose from Assembly Bill 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file civil suits against alleged predators and the agencies that employed them. A handful of prominent firms — including Manly, Stewart & Finaldi — declined to participate in the settlement and have ongoing litigation. In the aftermath of AB 218, state legislators have introduced several bills to attempt to make it easier for governments and school districts to deal with the financial fallout from the deluge of suits. One of these bills — SB 577 — is set for a hearing Tuesday. County lawyers claim one reason the state law change has had such a devastating financial toll is because many of the records they need to fight decades-old cases are long gone. Attorney John Manly argued the claim flew in the face of what his firm saw at Camp Scott. The county 'has been telling all of Sacramento that they don't have any documents,' said Manly, who urged the judge to allow his firm to publicize the footage they'd taken of the heaps of documents. 'We need to be able to share this with legislators.' Riff agreed with the county's request that the videos remain confidential for now due to security risks. Though Camp Scott hasn't been used to house youths for years, Sargent wrote in a filing that may soon change. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza ordered the county Friday to prepare to shut down Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall — the county's last remaining juvenile hall, where roughly 270 youths are held — due to problems stemming from chronic understaffing. 'The youth presently in Los Padrinos will need to go somewhere, and if some wind up at Camp Scott, the public release of photos and videos could be seriously detrimental,' Sargent wrote. Thom noted that both reporters and television crews have been allowed to broadcast footage taken inside the camp, including a 2001 documentary, "Camp Scott Lock-Up." 'The L.A. Times has been in there to photograph,' said Thom. 'MTV videoed more than we did." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Reams of documents related to L.A. County sex abuse cases never turned over, lawyers say
Thousands of documents that could contain key details about rampant sexual abuse inside a defunct Santa Clarita detention camp — including so-called 'grooming drawings' — were left scattered inside the facility and never turned over to attorneys for those who alleged they had been abused as children, according to a firm suing L.A. County over the decades-old incidents. As part of the preparation for a looming June trial, attorneys with law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi had arranged last Tuesday to visit Camp Scott, a shuttered L.A. County probation camp where many of their clients say they were sexually abused as children. Inside the facility were reams of records that the county should have turned over to the firm more than a year ago through discovery, said attorney Courtney Thom, whose firm has about 150 civil cases alleging sexual abuse by county probation staff. 'You can understand my shock when I'm walking through where my clients got raped as children, and there are documents everywhere,' Thom said at a Monday superior court hearing in downtown Los Angeles. Thom said she discovered thousands of paper grievances, a locked file cabinet labeled 'Personnel Files CAMPS A – W,' and a drawing she believed was signed by Thomas Jackson — a probation deputy accused by at least 20 women of sexually assaulting them at the camp. The drawing, included in a court filing, was of the name 'TAMI' in big, block orange letters and appeared to be signed by a 'Jackson. T.' Attorney James Sargent, who's representing the county and accompanied Thom for the tour last week, called her claims 'inflammatory and incorrect.' 'They want to air what they deem as dirty laundry,' said Sargent, who told L.A. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff that the personnel files they discovered had nothing to do with the staff named in the lawsuits. Nor did the drawing, he said. Tami Wilson, a former supervisor at the camp, told him she recalled being given the hand-drawn card by a youth, he wrote in a court filing. The county announced earlier this month they planned to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of alleged sexual abuse inside the county's juvenile facilities and foster homes. The settlement — believed to be the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history — arose from Assembly Bill 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file civil suits against alleged predators and the agencies that employed them. A handful of prominent firms — including Manly, Stewart & Finaldi — declined to participate in the settlement and have ongoing litigation. In the aftermath of AB 218, state legislators have introduced several bills to attempt to make it easier for governments and school districts to deal with the financial fallout from the deluge of suits. One of these bills — SB 577 — is set for a hearing Tuesday. County lawyers claim one reason the state law change has had such a devastating financial toll is because many of the records they need to fight decades-old cases are long gone. Attorney John Manly argued the claim flew in the face of what his firm saw at Camp Scott. The county 'has been telling all of Sacramento that they don't have any documents,' said Manly, who urged the judge to allow his firm to publicize the footage they'd taken of the heaps of documents. 'We need to be able to share this with legislators.' Riff agreed with the county's request that the videos remain confidential for now due to security risks. Though Camp Scott hasn't been used to house youth for years, Sargent wrote in a filing that may soon change. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza ordered the county Friday to prepare to shut down Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall — the county's last remaining juvenile hall where roughly 270 youth are held — due to problems stemming from chronic understaffing. 'The youth presently in Los Padrinos will need to go somewhere, and if some wind up at Camp Scott, the public release of photos and videos could be seriously detrimental,' Sargent wrote. Thom noted that both reporters and television crews have been allowed to broadcast footage taken inside the camp, including a 2001 documentary, 'Camp Scott Lock-Up.' 'The LA Times has been in there to photograph,' said Thom. 'MTV videoed more than we did.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
US tourists held in maximum security Mexico prison freed, return home
Two American tourists who were held in a Cancun, Mexico, prison have been released, their attorneys said. Paul and Christy Akeo returned to Lansing, Michigan, after 32 days, according to a news release from the law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. Prosecutors in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo had alleged the couple defrauded a hospitality company by canceling nearly $117,000 in credit card transactions. The arrest stemmed from a timeshare contract dispute with The Palace Company. The Akeos' family maintained they were wrongly accused of fraud. The couple's children, Lindsey Lemke Hull and Michael Lemke, thanked President Donald Trump, U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler and Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., 'for working tirelessly for the release of Paul and Christy Akeo' in a statement from the family on Thursday. Barrett visited the maximum security prison where the Akeos were being held, he said in a post on X on Wednesday. 'I met with them personally for an hour and learned of the horrific conditions they are facing – rubbled walls, overcrowded cells, toilets that don't flush, and disgusting food,' he wrote. 'This has left them scared, frustrated, and struggling to find hope. I assured them that I am doing everything I can to urgently secure their safe release.' The lawmaker later posted a video on X on Thursday night showing him boarding a plane with the couple. Palace and the Akeos 'agreed to a resolution of their dispute,' the company told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. 'The Palace Company and the Akeos agree that $116,587.84, the amount that was contested by the Akeos and refunded to them by American Express, will be donated to a bona fide established nonprofit in Mexico benefiting orphan children,' the company said. 'Each party regrets that this incident occurred.' A judge validated the agreement and dismissed the criminal case, the Quintana Roo Attorney General's office said. "The Prosecutor's Office reiterates its commitment to justice and social welfare, acting in accordance with the law to ensure repair for damages and respect for the rights of all parties involved," prosecutors said in a translated Facebook post. The couple's attorney, John Manly, said late last month that the Akeos disputed the charges with the credit card company after Palace failed 'to deliver services," including canceling booked weeks without notice. Palace told USA TODAY at the time that the pair's weeks were canceled because they violated their membership terms 'after promoting and profiting from their benefits on social media.' The Akeos were notified of the breach, the company said, and later disputed the charges. Manly said the couple believed they were allowed to market and sell some of their weeks to third parties. He also accused Palace of demanding $250,000 and that the Akeos sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for their release, among other conditions. 'No American should be held hostage to the demands of a private company anywhere in the world,' Hull and Lemke said in their statement Thursday. 'Paul and Christy are under the care of physicians and therapists to be treated for illnesses and trauma inflicted upon them during their captivity. We ask that their privacy be respected as they rest and heal.' Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US couple returns home after 32 days in maximum security Mexico prison
