Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP is proud to announce Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) has selected firm attorneys Brian Panish, Spencer Lucas, Matthew Freeman, and Diana Panish among the finalists for 2024 Consumer Attorney of the Year for their work on Blair and McGregor v. Moreno Valley Unified School District. The annual top honor is awarded to a CAOC members who significantly advanced the rights or safety of California consumers by achieving a noteworthy result in a case.
Mr. Panish and Mr. Lucas served as lead counsel in this case, obtaining a $135,000,000 jury verdict in Riverside County for two former Moreno Valley Unified School District students who were sexually abused by their teacher and failed by the school district entrusted to protect them. For 20 years, the Moreno Valley Unified School District employed child predator Thomas Lee West as a teacher, despite having actual notice of numerous child molestation complaints against him dating back to 1988.
According to a press release issued by the CAOC, the finalists for these awards were selected by a committee consisting of members of CAOC’s Executive Committee; representatives of the attorney groups that won these awards in each of the last three years; and six randomly selected members of CAOC’s Board of Directors. The winners will be chosen by secret ballot of CAOC board members after presentations about each case at the board meeting on September 12. The winners will be announced November 16 at the Annual Installation and Awards Dinner during CAOC’s 63rd Annual Convention in San Francisco.
Below is a description of the case as provided by CAOC:
SCHOOL DISTRICT TURNS A BLIND EYE TO A CHILD MOLESTER ON STAFF
For 20 years, the Moreno Valley Unified School District employed child predator Thomas Lee West as a teacher, despite having notice of numerous child molestation complaints against him dating back to 1988. After his foster child ran away and alleged molestation, West pled guilty to child endangerment and served jail time on the weekends while he continued to teach sixth grade. When the California Teachers Credentialing Board revoked his teaching credential, district employees were encouraged to write letters of support to get him credentialed again. Brady Blair and Justin McGregor were assigned to West’s classroom during the 1996-97 school year. Before the end of the school year, West was sexually abusing both boys, and the abuse continued into the boys’ sophomore year in high school. When the sexual abuse ended, West maintained his control over the boys through coercion and threats, preventing them from reporting their abuse. In 2003, after his high school graduation, Brady reported the abuse to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. West was tried and found guilty; he is currently serving a 52-years-to-life sentence. As a result of the abuse, Brady and Justin suffered severe, life-long mental and emotional distress throughout their lives. When they sued the district, the defense liability expert was forced to admit the district fell below the standard of care by not firing West when it learned that he may be a child molester. A jury returned a substantial verdict, finding the district 90 percent at fault. This case has reinforced the duty of school districts to ensure they hire and retain teachers and staff who have been vetted and approved as safe to be around children. Furthermore, this case shows that school districts have a continuing duty to monitor and check the backgrounds of their teachers, so as to not allow a known predator to have supervision of minor children.