J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 2, 2026
DocketB341822
StatusUnpublished

This text of J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1 (J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

Filed 6/2/26 J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

J.R., B341822

Plaintiff and Appellant, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 22STCV37608) v.

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT,

Defendant and Respondent.

APPEAL from the judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Alison M. Mackenzie, Judge. Affirmed. J.R., in pro. per., for Plaintiff and Appellant. Artiano Shinoff, Paul V. Carelli IV and Maurice A. Bumbu for Defendant and Respondent. J.R. (J.R.) sued respondent Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), alleging an LAUSD employee sexually abused him while he was a student in the district. The trial court granted LAUSD’s summary judgment motion on the basis that J.R. had failed to name the district employee who knew or had reason to know of the alleged abuse. In so doing, the court interpreted Government Code section 815.21 and cases applying it as categorically requiring a plaintiff who seeks to hold a public entity vicariously liable for the actions of its employee to identify that employee by name. We interpret this authority as more broadly requiring identifying information about the employee sufficient for the jury to assess the plaintiff ’s claims. This may, but does not necessarily, require a plaintiff to identify the employee by name. The court nevertheless reached the correct result. The record before us reflects that LAUSD met its initial burden on summary judgment, and that J.R.’s opposition evidence did not meet his burden. As to J.R.’s negligence claims, the opposition evidence did not include any identifying information about the LAUSD administrative or supervisory employees allegedly aware of the abuser’s propensities. As to J.R.’s Penal Code section 11166 failure to report claim, the opposition evidence did not identify a mandated reporter with allegedly reasonable suspicion of J.R.’s abuse. The opposition evidence was thus insufficient to create a triable issue of fact as to LAUSD’s vicarious liability for either the allegedly negligent failure of any LAUSD administrative or supervisory employee to protect J.R. or the alleged failure of any LAUSD mandated reporter to fulfill his or her Penal Code section 11166

1 Unless otherwise indicated, all further statutory references are to the Government Code.

2 duty. On this basis, summary judgment was correct. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND A. The Complaint On December 1, 2022, J.R. sued LAUSD and its former employee, David Lott. He alleged that, in 2005–2006, Lott was a teacher’s assistant at George Washington Preparatory High School (George Washington), a school within LAUSD, where J.R. was an underage student. J.R. alleged “that Lott oversaw the school[’]s weightlifting club, and arranged bodybuilding photoshoots, where he would rub oil on [J.R.] and other students, as a pretext to fondle their genitals.” J.R. “further allege[d] that Lott sexually assaulted him.” J.R. asserted causes of action against LAUSD for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention of Lott, negligent supervision of a minor, and failure by a mandated reporter to report suspected child abuse as required by Penal Code section 11166.

B. Summary Judgment Briefing LAUSD moved for summary judgment. It contended J.R.’s negligence claims failed “because [he] [had] no evidence that any named supervisor or administrator at the school acted negligently in their hiring, supervision, or retention of Lott or failed to adequately supervise [J.R.]” LAUSD further contended J.R. could not prove his failure to report abuse claim, because the evidence did not “show . . . that any named school employee knew or had a factual basis from which to reasonably suspect that any child had been abused by Lott.” LAUSD based both arguments on J.R.’s interrogatory response that “he never told any school officials about Lott’s abuse,” and that “there were no witnesses to the alleged sexual assault, other than [J.R.] and Lott.”

3 Before filing his opposition, J.R. requested a continuance to gather additional evidence. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (h).)2 J.R.’s request explained he had learned of another former George Washington student, later identified as a woman named K.D., suing LAUSD and alleging Lott sexually abused her. The court granted the continuance. Thereafter, J.R. obtained and supported his opposition with a declaration from K.D. It appears from our limited record on appeal and the parties’ briefing that J.R. had not identified K.D. as a source of relevant evidence before this point, nor had he offered any other evidence suggesting anyone had reported Lott’s abuse to LAUSD.3 K.D. declared that, in 1989, Lott sexually assaulted her in the locker room. She declared that she reported the assault to an English teacher named “Ms. Mason,” a counselor, and an “unnamed school administrator.” J.R. argued, inter alia, that this reporting

2 “If it appears from the affidavits submitted in opposition to a motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication, or both, that facts essential to justify opposition may exist but cannot, for reasons stated, be presented, the court shall deny the motion, order a continuance to permit affidavits to be obtained or discovery to be had, or make any other order as may be just.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (h).) 3 The record on appeal does not include the parties’ briefing on summary judgment. Nor does the court’s minute order ruling on the motion catalog the evidence offered by the parties, except that it discusses the K.D. declaration and references J.R.’s admission in discovery that he did not report the abuse and that no one witnessed it. At the hearing, the court stated that, besides the K.D. declaration, “there [was] nothing else” provided “to establish a triable issue of fact of the vicarious liability.”

4 put LAUSD administrative personnel sufficiently on notice of Lott’s propensity to abuse.

C. Summary Judgment Hearing During the hearing on the motion, J.R.’s counsel acknowledged that no evidence before the court identified an administrative or supervisory employee of LAUSD to whom K.D. allegedly reported her abuse or “the entire full name” of the teacher to which K.D. allegedly reported her abuse. J.R.’s counsel represented that he could obtain such evidence, because he had recently learned from LAUSD the identities of “the administrators and the teacher that K.D. described in her deposition.” Defense counsel, however, did not provide these names, did not offer to do so in a written proffer, nor request a continuance or leave to offer additional evidence. During the hearing, LAUSD described the K.D. declaration as from “a self interested litigant” and as “a hearsay document . . . from 1989.” This triggered a colloquy between the court and counsel about whether, even if K.D. had identified a specific individual to whom she reported Lott’s abuse, this could support a finding that LAUSD knew or should have known Lott was likely to abuse J.R. 16 years later. In this context, the court commented that the K.D. declaration seemed to address a “totally different time period[ ]. . . . [¶] . . . I don’t know if there’s case law on this. But it does seem[ ] at some point the time period makes a difference.” The court further commented: “This issue of the temporal difference in time[,] maybe this is going to have to be litigated with the Court of Appeal[ ]. . . . [¶] . . .

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Bluebook (online)
J.R. v. L.A. Unified School Dist. CA2/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jr-v-la-unified-school-dist-ca21-calctapp-2026.