Woman Could Sue Her Former High School for Negligent Supervision in Abuse Claim

Key point 10-09.1. Some courts have found churches liable on the basis of negligent supervision for a worker’s acts of child molestation on the ground that the church failed to exercise reasonable care in the supervision of the victim or of its own programs and activities.

A California appeals court ruled that a woman who was sexually molested by a teacher at the public school she attended as a minor could not sue the school on the basis of negligent hiring for her injuries, but could sue it for negligent supervision.

Background

An adult male (the “defendant”) applied for employment with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in June 2003. The defendant’s job application listed his employment history but did not disclose his previous employment with the Long Beach Unified School District in 1993, or that he had been discharged from this position after being ...