Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Teacher Files Claim Over Alleged Assault : Education: The Santa Clarita instructor contends the district failed to thoroughly investigate her allegations of a sexual attack by a colleague.

A 44-year-old elementary school teacher who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a male colleague in a classroom filed a $1-million claim against the school district Wednesday for its handling of the incident.

Attorney Gary Paul said the “claim for damages” presented to the Saugus Union School District is the first step in suing the government agency, which now has 45 days to respond. State law dictates that in order to sue a government agency, that agency must first be notified in writing that grounds for legal action exist.

According to the claim, district officials failed to thoroughly investigate the alleged Nov. 5 attack by teacher and former Sheriff’s Deputy Edward Keith Culhane on a female fellow teacher at Santa Clarita Elementary School. District and school officials then conspired to cover up the alleged attack by directing the victim not to report it to law enforcement officials, the claim states.

“The more we find out, the more apparent it becomes how horrendously this matter has been handled,” Paul said Wednesday. “This situation never should have been permitted.”

District Supt. Troy Bramlett dismissed the claim as “an obvious attempt to get some money” that would not stand up in court.

“I just see one inaccuracy and one false statement after another,” Bramlett said. “I don’t think the board will give them one penny.”

Culhane, 35, last month pleaded not guilty to felony counts of rape by a foreign object, sexual assault and attempted forcible oral copulation stemming from the alleged attack.

He is free on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing March 17. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum of 10 years in state prison.

In the claim, Paul said the district “negligently hired Culhane, an individual with a long history of engaging in sexual harassment towards women and of other sexual misconduct.” In a news release issued separately from the claim, Paul cited statements made by Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Flotz at Culhane’s Feb. 15 arraignment alleging that Culhane was forced to leave the Sheriff’s Department because of complaints of sexual misconduct.

The claim states that following the attack, “district authorities embarked on a systematic program to defame (the alleged victim’s) character and to protect Culhane from further scrutiny.”

Culhane, who was arrested after the alleged victim filed a criminal complaint with the Sheriff’s Department on Jan. 14, has been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 19.

Culhane was a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department from January, 1982, to August, 1991.

Bramlett said that the former deputy came to the district with “glowing commendations” from former employers and members of the community, and that there was no indication he was capable of violence. He said the Sheriff’s Department provided only basic information such as dates of employment and assignment locations.

Although the district allowed Culhane to return to work after conducting a four-day investigation of the attack that proved inconclusive, Bramlett said the board is now seeking to fire the first-year teacher and is asking an administrative hearing officer to consider the request.

He said this step was not taken earlier because the alleged victim would not agree to testify--a claim she disputes.

“It’s all going to come down to ‘who believes who,’ ” Bramlett said. “We just want to get this thing into a judicial process and then let the chips fall where they may.”