Under the Los Angeles Superior Court panel’s verdict, the district will have to pay $36.2 million of that amount. The teacher, Joeph Baldenebro of Montebello, worked at Miramonte Elementary School in South El Monte for about 20 years. He was 56 years old when he was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2018 and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
According to trial testimony in the consolidated civil suit originally involving three separate cases, the molestations occurred from the late 1990s until 2017.
“At no time did the employees of MVSD take any action to restrict Baldenebro’s access and interaction with minors,” according to the plaintiffs’ court papers.
The trial lasted a month and jurors deliberated for two days. The district admitted negligence before trial, according to court papers.
