Eight young women – including at least one from San Diego County – who say they were sexually harassed and inappropriately touched by a teacher are suing a Southern California school district over the alleged conduct.
The plaintiffs blame Hemet Unified School District for what they say was a failure by administrators to protect them from the defendant, formerly a math teacher at Hemet High School, who was ultimately convicted of felony charges.
The suit, filed Friday in Riverside County Superior Court, stems from the alleged actions of Miguel Angel Chavez Lopez, 33, between 2016 and 2018.
Lopez, who is also named in the civil complaint, was arrested in August 2018 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. He pleaded guilty six months later to oral copulation of a minor and penetration of a minor with a foreign object and was sentenced to 16 months in state prison.
Most of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit came forward after the criminal case had concluded. It is unclear why the plaintiffs did not formally accuse Chavez in 2018.
They’re listed only by initials – “B.B.,” “B.K.,” “G.S.,” “K.M.,” “N.M.,” “V.N.,” “V.R.” and “W.N.” According to the suit, they’re all now in their early to mid-20s and reside in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
“Miguel Chavez groomed and primed the plaintiffs and other students for abuse by openly complimenting their appearances, keeping them in his classroom during break periods, lunches and after-school hours, massaging their shoulders and brushing his body against theirs,” the suit alleges.
District officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The suit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, alleges that Lopez had been investigated for inappropriate contact while employed at another high school in 2015, yet was still hired by Hemet Unified the following year.
“Chavez had a documented history of misconduct before his abuse of the plaintiffs,” the court papers allege, with multiple “red flags” that “should have alerted HUSD and Hemet High” to the teacher’s alleged behavior.
The attorneys also wrote that the school district had received complaints and warnings from students and parents regarding Chavez, but staff did not address the matter.
No court dates have been set yet in the civil action.
