The Region : Former McMartin Teacher Files Lawsuit

Former McMartin Pre-School teacher Mary Ann Jackson filed the latest in a series of civil suits against Los Angeles County, the City of Manhattan Beach and a child-abuse diagnostic center, among others, claiming that her life was ruined by charges that she molested students at the preschool. Jackson is one of five defendants against whom charges were later dropped for lack of evidence. She said she was “forced to sit through 18 months of tortuous proceedings” during the lengthy preliminary hearing, which led to publicity that implied that she was involved in the sexual molestation of children, satanic rituals and mutilation of animals. The suit, which also names KABC television and former Dist. Atty. Robert H. Philibosian, seeks unspecified damages. Two other former McMartin teachers have sought $10 million in similar lawsuits.