Jury awards $135 million to 2 men molested by California teacher 27 years ago

Sexual assault victims Brady Blair, left, and Justin McGregor, right, sit on the steps of the Riverisde County Court House in downtown Riverside following a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. A jury awarded $135 million on Oct. 10 to Blair and McGregor, both 38, who as children in the 1990’s, were sexually assaulted by sixth grade teacher Thomas Lee West at Vista Heights Middle School in Moreno Valley.

McGregor and another victim, Brady Blair, also 38, appeared with Lucas in downtown Riverside in front of the Historic Courthouse on Wednesday, Oct. 11, to discuss the $135 million that a jury there awarded the men the previous day after a trial on a lawsuit filed in 2021. Jurors found the Moreno Valley Unified School District 90% liable and the perpetrator, Thomas Lee West, 10% liable .

Velasco described the verdict as “unprecedented” and that the district was weighing its next action. She referred other questions, including why West remained employed by the district after his child endangerment conviction, to the district’s attorneys. They could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

West, 68, was criminally charged in 2003 with sexually assaulting McGregor and Blair. During that case, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said in a court filing that prosecutors believed West molested four other children from about 1987 to 1992 but did not file charges in those cases. Lucas said West kept his hold on McGregor and Blair by threatening them with violence. He also installed trackers on their computer keyboards that allowed him to monitor who they chatted with and which websites they visited.Crime and Public Safety |

“To this day, it’s my belief that the district still does not have adequate policies and practices in place to protect children from sexual molestation,” Lucas said.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

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