Local News in Brief : Simi Schools Face Sexual Damage Claim

A Simi Valley high school student, his mother and stepfather, have filed claims against the Simi Valley Unified School District, alleging that the boy’s English teacher had sexual relations with him last year.

The claims, filed April 2 by Serkitz S. Mensuroglu, Socorro A. Mensuroglu and their 16-year-old son, say that, “as a result of alleged sexual acts with a teacher at Royal High School, the claimant, a minor, has suffered shock, nervousness, grief, anxiety, worry, mortification, humility, indignity and mental suffering.”

The family asks $500,000 damages for each adult and $1 million damages for the teen-ager. The claims also ask the school district to pay the cost of medical expenses incurred by the youth, who has undergone psychiatric care since December.

The school district has 180 days to respond to claims, which often are preliminary steps to lawsuits.

But the Simi Valley School Board is scheduled to act on the claims at its regular meeting today, Associate Supt. Harold Lipman said. He said the claims would be rejected.

The youth’s English teacher, Carol Dougherty, resigned Dec. 20 after school officials confronted her with a complaint by the teen-ager’s mother, Lipman said.

Dougherty has been charged with 10 felony counts of oral copulation and five misdemeanor counts of child annoyance. She is scheduled to go on trial April 21 in Ventura County Superior Court.