Judge Keeps Sierra Canyon Abuse Suit Public, Exposing Claims Involving Children as Young as 7
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 24
Judge Keeps Sierra Canyon Abuse Suit Public, Exposing Claims Involving Children as Young as 7
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 24
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David B. Gelfound denied Sierra Canyon School’s bid for private proceedings, sending a lawsuit by a now-9-year-old girl’s family into public discovery and toward a possible jury trial.
The suit alleges the girl was 7 when older female students ran a bathroom "kissing club" that pressured younger children into kissing, genital touching and oral copulation during school hours.
Parents claim staff failed to supervise students and, after videos were found on cellphones, did not promptly alert police or families—raising possible issues under California’s mandatory child-abuse reporting laws.
Sierra Canyon denies the allegations, says it took student-welfare concerns seriously when raised in 2024, and argues its response was appropriate; the family’s lawyer says this is the second similar lawsuit against the school.
The case is drawing unusual scrutiny because Sierra Canyon is a celebrity-linked Chatsworth private school where high school tuition exceeds $46,000 a year.
Does an elite school's celebrity culture enable cover-ups of student abuse?
If schools find abuse videos on student phones, what stops a cover-up?