Taylor & Ring Filing Lawsuits Against Louis Moreno and LAUSD for Sexual Abuse of Students

Name: Taylor & Ring
Brand: Taylor & Ring
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The firm is currently reviewing multiple claims that Moreno abused LAUSD students

Taylor & Ring has built a national reputation for its work on behalf of sexual abuse survivors, particularly those who were sexually groomed and abused by teachers and school staff. We are currently representing individuals in claims against Louis Moreno, a former teacher at 96^th Street Elementary School. We are also filing claims against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for their failure to protect the children from Moreno.

More than a dozen former students have filed suit against LAUSD for the abuse they suffered. If you or a loved one were sexually groomed and/or abused by Louis Moreno, or if your child’s cries for help were ignored by 96^th Street Elementary School staff and administrators, or by the LAUSD, you can seek justice. Taylor & Ring wants to hear from you. Attorneys Dave Ring, Natalie Weatherford, and Peter Reagan have the experience handling sexual assault claims against abusers and school districts, in particular the LAUSD. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

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Louis Moreno already pled guilty to multiple counts of sexual battery

On September 13, 1988, Louis Moreno was hired to teach five-year-old and six-year-old first grade students at 96^th Street Elementary School. He was forty-six. On September 14, 1988, Moreno began grooming and sexually molesting the young female students in his class in a pattern of predatory behavior that would persist until he was ultimately arrested in October 1991. When he was finally taken into custody, Moreno was charged with thirty-six felony counts of child molestation involving thirteen minor victims. The District Attorney later amended those charges to include fifty-three felony counts of child molestation involving sixteen different victims. After a hung jury could not reach a verdict in the criminal trial, Moreno pled guilty to eleven counts of sexual battery by restraint.

Moreno sexually abused multiple little girls over the course of years

When Moreno began at 96^th Street Elementary, he immediately began to use his position of authority over the young children in his class to gain their trust and ultimately to abuse them. Moreno displayed a sadly familiar and consistent pattern in his abuse of the young girls under his supervision. During class time, Moreno frequently called the young girls in his class up to his desk, where he would give them candy, sweets, and other gifts. While they stood next to him or sat on his lap, Moreno molested these young children by touching their buttocks, vagina, and breasts, both over and under their clothes. This occurred daily. Moreno even picked specific students from other first grade classes to transfer to his own so that he could abuse them. When one of his female students wore pants to school, Moreno chastised her and told her to wear a dress. Some students began to develop an aversion to wearing dresses because Moreno would abuse them more when they when they did so. On one occasion when a young girl did not come to his desk when called, Moreno angrily grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to his desk before fondling and digitally penetrating her. At least one first grader said that Moreno made her touch his penis. Many children reported that Moreno kissed them on multiple occasions, including on their mouth. This abuse also occurred during recess and lunch breaks, when Moreno would keep a few students in his classroom.

LAUSD ignored numerous complaints about Louis Moreno from students, parents, and teachers’ aides

Moreno’s arrest was not the first time the Los Angeles Unified School District learned of his sexual abuse of first-grade students.

One student, identified in the legal proceedings at Jane Doe 6, complained to the school’s Vice Principal Wilbur Williams that Moreno had touched her inappropriately. Williams merely told Moreno to stop touching the girls and took no other action. Moreno continued in his position as a first-grade teacher and continued to abuse his students.

Another young girl, identified as Jane Doe 4, went home and told her mother that Moreno had touched her inappropriately. Doe 4’s mother immediately went to the school and reported the incident to the principal, asking that her daughter be transferred to a different class. But the school refused to transfer Doe 4 to a different class until her mother threatened to call the police. Plaintiff’s counsel’s investigation indicates that at least two other students also complained directly to school administrators regarding Moreno’s abuse, but those complaints went ignored and unheeded.

Moreover, multiple teachers’ aides that worked in Moreno’s classroom complained to the school administration because Moreno was sending them out of the classroom on a regular basis. One teaching assistant (TA) told the school administration that Moreno often had her leave the classroom to perform menial errands and that she was not being allowed to perform her classroom duties. She also found it strange that Moreno gave an unusual amount of attention to certain students. A second TA told investigating officers that Moreno made her feel uncomfortable and that she thought it odd that he always kept his classroom door closed when every other teacher left their door open. She also reported that Moreno sent her to run errands outside of the classroom such that she was only able to spend an hour a day in the classroom. She reported her concerns to the school administration, but nothing was done, and Moreno continued to abuse the children he was charged to protect.

LAUSD has a history of ignoring children in danger

LAUSD has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts to the individuals and families of children who were abused, harassed, and assault. We know, because we have successfully represented multiple survivors in multiple claims against LAUSD, securing millions on their behalf. Taylor & Ring has been incredibly successful representing sexual abuse victims in claims against teachers, schools and school districts. We represented multiple survivors in claims against LAUSD/Miramonte, the largest sexual abuse case in the history of Los Angeles. We believe we can help you, too.

Can I file a claim against Louis Moreno and LAUSD for sexual abuse?

California changed its laws in 2020 to help survivors seek justice from their abusers. If you were sexually groomed and abused by Louis Moreno as child, you can file a civil lawsuit against him and against the Los Angeles Unified School District if:

You are 40 years old or younger
You have discovered the abuse within the last five (5) years

The law also updated the window for reviving claims. If you were previously time barred from filing a sexual abuse claim, you now have a three-year window where your claim can be revived. The law also allows you to seek treble damages in claims “where a child becomes a victim of sexual assault as the result of an effort to cover up past assaults.”

Taylor & Ring advocates for sexual assault survivors throughout Southern California. If you or your child was sexually abused by Louis Moreno or any member of the LAUSD, we want to hear from you. Please call 310.776.6390 or fill out our contact form. The initial consultation is free. We offer a safe and secure office in which to tell your story and can travel to you if you cannot come to us.