EL MONTE, Calif. — Six former students of the Mountain View School District were awarded $48 million in damages on Monday after a jury ruled against the district and a former teacher convicted of molesting them.
The 12-person jury found that the former teacher, Joseph Alfred Baldenebro, 62, was responsible for molesting six fourth- and fifth-grade students at Miramonte Elementary School on school grounds over several years. The jury also determined that the district was negligent in supervising and employing Baldenebro, leading to the abuse that occurred in the classroom and elsewhere on the campus.
In 2018, Baldenebro pleaded no contest to one felony count of a lewd act upon a child and four misdemeanor counts of child molestation. He was initially sentenced to eight years in prison, but his sentence was later extended by 12 years when additional victims came forward. He was also required to register as a sex offender for life.
Jurors found that the molestation occurred due to a pattern of negligence, as the district failed to properly supervise Baldenebro during his tenure at Miramonte Elementary.
The impact of this verdict is a vindication of the child molestation victims against the school district that not only failed to protect them, but that also served as an accomplice in the molestations by its egregious negligence,” Nicholas C. Rowley, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Rowley said the district ignored countless warnings by other teachers and students about Baldenebro’s inappropriate behavior. The abuse happened between 2002 and 2004, in 2010 and 2011, and in 2016 and 2017. Principals gave him written warnings in 2001, 2005 and 2010, but law enforcement was not notified.
Out of the total $48 million awarded on Monday, the Mountain View School District will pay $36.2 million, with the remaining amount to be paid by Baldenebro, according to the ex-students’ legal team.
Since the abuse came to light, the Mountain View School District said it has implemented measures to bolster student safety and provide awareness training about sexual assault and abuse.