UPDATED: Taylor & Ring Files Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against North Monterey County Unified School District
Taylor & Ring has filed a lawsuit against North Monterey County Unified School District (NMCUSD) for the sexual assault of one of its students (“Jane Doe”), who was groomed and abused by Sergio Marquez while she was a student in 2002-2003. Marquez has been accused of sexually assaulting students before. As of this writing, at least three new survivors have come forward with accusations.
Attorney Neil Gehlawat is representing Ms. Doe. As he told KSBW Action News, “Marquez used his position of power and authority over Plaintiff to groom her, manipulate her, and ultimately sexually assault her on multiple occasions.”
The lawsuit claims that NMCUSD failed in their “mandatory duty to properly and adequately investigate, hire, train, and supervise Marquez.” This failure is what allowed Marquez to continue to sexually assault, abuse, and/or groom students during his tenure at the school. As Gehlawat explained to the Monterey Herald, the lawsuit “against the school district [is] because there were red flags along the way that should have been heeded and prevented this sexual abuse from occurring,” including one incident that led to a different teacher confronting Marquez about a situation where he and Doe were found alone together in a classroom at the school.
Taylor & Ring is committed to fighting on behalf of sexual assault survivors. We have specific experience representing victims of sexual abuse by teachers and education professionals. If you or your child was a victim of Marquez, we want to help. Contact us to discuss your case with an attorney.
North Monterey County teacher arrested for sexual assault of former student
Recent news out of Castroville reports that the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a North Monterey County High School teacher on charges of sexually assaulting a former student. This assault took place on school property, during school hours.
Sergio Munoz Marquez, 58, was arrested on October 12 and charged with numerous sexual assault offenses stemming from an incident involving a student 20 years ago. Per KION 46 News:
Marquez was a teacher in the Automotive Program at the school for 30 years, said deputies. The North Monterey Unified School District “relieved Marquez of his teaching duties upon learning of his allegations.” The sheriff’s office added that this alleged incident happened 20 years ago. His bail is set at $1,200,000.
Marquez, up until the time of his arrest, was working for the high school for 30 years. That’s 30 years of opportunity to prey upon students. As of this time, we have no idea how many young teens were affected and harmed by his actions, and why the school failed to keep these students safe. However, we intend to find out.
Taylor & Ring is representing one of these students – but we believe there may be many more survivors out there. We have years of experience holding predators, and the systems that enable them, accountable for their failures to keep our students safe. We want to help you seek justice, too, no matter when the harm occurred. Please call us at 310-776-6390 to learn more about how we can help.
We’re here to help you fight back
At Taylor & Ring, our attorneys focus on helping people. Specifically, we focus on helping survivors of sexual assault and abuse. When a person in power or authority, like a teacher, uses their position to take advantage of a child, they must be held responsible for the harm they cause. Our attorneys have recovered over $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of sexual assault survivors and their loved ones throughout California. We can help you, too.
We also understand that no matter when an assault occurred, it may be difficult to speak about. Advocacy and support organization RAINN offers some advice and guidance, but the most important thing to remember is that “You deserve to be listened to and supported when you choose to tell your story.”
Our attorneys offer you that space and safety necessary to tell your story. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can.
If you or your child were a student at North Monterey County High School between 1992 and 2022 and were sexually assaulted by Sergio Munoz Marquez, the attorneys at Taylor & Ring want to help. Our lawyers are compassionate, discreet, and respected in Los Angeles and throughout the state. Please call us at 310-776-6390 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation.
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David Ring is a nationally renowned plaintiff’s personal injury trial attorney and has obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of seriously-injured individuals or families who have lost a loved one in a tragic accident. For more than 20 years, he has represented victims of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, assault, molestation and sexual misconduct in cases against a variety of employers and entities, including schools, churches and youth organizations.
He prides himself on providing aggressive, yet compassionate representation for children who have been sexually abused and women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted. Read more about David M. Ring.