Former student settles sex case against Burbank school district

A man who claimed he was sexually abused by his teacher when he was 14 years old has settled his lawsuit against the Burbank Unified school district that alleged school officials failed to oversee the teacher and train employees to recognize signs of sex abuse.

Attorneys representing the plaintiff and school district did not respond for comment, and the district did not immediately release the settlement amount when it was requested.

Amy Beck, a former teacher at David Starr Jordan Middle School, turned herself into Burbank police in March 2010, three days after resigning from teaching at the middle school. She admitted she had a sexual relationship with the student in the spring and fall of 2009.

After pleading no contest to having unlawful sexual intercourse and committing a lewd act on a child, she served less than a year in prison and is registered as a sex offender.

The lawsuit was filed against Beck and Burbank Unified in 2011 and accused school officials of not training students, teachers and parents to recognize the signs of child abuse and not reporting it.

Court documents show that Beck chose the plaintiff to work as her classroom aide, told him she wanted to “teach him” about sex and enlisted him to baby-sit her three children.

Court documents also state that Beck had sex with the plaintiff three or four times on the middle school campus and regularly gave the plaintiff’s family $300 to $400 per month.

The plaintiff’s attorneys contend that school employees knew about the relationship between Beck and the student.

“Nearly all of the designated questionable conduct was engaged in by Beck and nearly all of that was [known] to one or more teachers or other staff members of [the middle school],” according to documents filed by the plaintiff’s attorney. “But having not received any training on the indemnification of educator sexual misconduct, these individuals were without the necessary (and statutorily mandated) tools to be effective mandated reports.”

The school district’s attorney, Nancy Doumanian, however, stated in court documents that “no one at [Jordan] Middle School ever had any suspicion or concern that Mrs. Beck was engaging in any inappropriate behavior.”

Earlier this year, the plaintiff reached a $25,000 settlement with Beck, according to court records.

Beck stated she would pay a portion of that amount — $12,500 — with her homeowner’s insurance policy, and the remainder she would pay herself, according to a court declaration.

“In order to fund my portions of the settlement with plaintiff, I voluntarily cashed out my retirement plan with the California State Teachers Retirement System,” Beck stated in a declaration. “I had to pay significant penalties, including early-withdrawal penalties that totaled 20% of the total value of the retirement account.”

Beck also stated she had been working for an unidentified firm in Los Angeles since 2012.

According to the plaintiff’s trial brief, the injury to him “is profound and will affect him for the rest of his life. Psychiatric testing demonstrates that he is very guarded.”

Court records also state the plaintiff requires “extensive psychotherapy,” a medical cost ranging from $757,636 to over $1.2 million, court records show.
--

Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.

ALSO: