$12.6 million awarded to 3 in molestation case

A jury has awarded nearly $12.6 million to three men who said they were molested decades ago while living in a Covina shelter for children, a lawyer said Wednesday.

A Pomona Superior Court jury ruled Tuesday that Masonic Homes of California was liable for the actions of a former house parent and was negligent in its hiring and employee supervision.

The decision “tells me that juries who are presented with a simple and basic story of broken trust respond with reason and compassion,” plaintiff’s attorney David Bigelow said.

Calls to the Masonic home for comment were not returned Wednesday.

The nonprofit homes organization, based in Union City, south of Oakland, runs shelters for children from broken homes.

The men, now in their mid-40s, contended that they were molested by the house parent for years while living in the home in the 1970s. The suit said they were as young as 12 when the molestation began.

Two of the men testified that they told the home’s administrator about the molestation but that nothing was done. The employee quit in 1979.

The men were among 14 people who have sued, alleging that they were sexually abused while living in the San Gabriel Valley home.

In October, a jury in a separate lawsuit awarded $3.5 million to two women who said they were molested by employees after being placed in the shelter.

Trials are pending in other cases.