SAN FRANCISCO – A teacher at the Loma Vista Adult Center in Concord has been accused of multiple counts of rape, sodomy and severe sexual assault against a former student.
The lawsuit filed on May 1 by the plaintiff’s mother alleges sexual battery, negligence, violation of civil codes and intentional infliction of emotional distress; and demands a trial by jury.
The lawsuit states that the plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, was a student at the Bridge Program at Loma Vista Adult Center, a public school in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District for the fall 2017 term. The program according to court documents, “assists special needs students to increase independence and access vocational, social and recreational opportunities in the community.”
Doe alleges that Daniel Gonzalez was one of Doe’s teachers at Loma Vista. Gonzalez allegedly violated Doe on “at least 23 occasions” during the 2017 fall semester, “including acts of rape, sex with a foreign object, forced sodomy, and oral sex.”
Gonzalez is also alleged to have given "female students unsupervised rides in his private vehicle during school-related events as well as to and from school; visiting students at off-campus locations, including their homes and places of work; providing students with gifts, ice cream, alcohol and drugs; spending unsupervised time involving unauthorized activity with students … while at the Bridge Program facility both during and after designated school hours.”
The lawsuit claims that the school knew or heard rumors that Gonzalez was engaging in inappropriate behavior, but failed to confront, monitor, investigate or do anything to prevent defendant Gonzalez’s behavior, condoned said behavior, and allowed him to isolate students in unsupervised situations, including plaintiff herein, so that he could undertake said sexual abuse, thereby failing to protect students such as plaintiff, and plaintiff specifically, from rape.”
The plaintiffs claim that Doe has suffered severe emotional and psychological harm and distress, humiliation, pain, suffering and fear because of the repeated incidents.
The lawsuit requests damages; general, special, incidental and exemplary damages; and other costs and fees.
The plaintiffs are represented by William C. Johnson, Esq., with Bennett & Johnson, LLP in Oakland.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 3:18-cv-02589-JSC