Former student athletes are suing Santa Barbara Unified School District for allegedly enabling sexual abuse by a football coach.
Four plaintiffs filed the complaint against SB Unified and former Assistant High School Football Coach and Security Guard Justin Sell. The allegations against the district include failure to report suspected abuse and negligent hiring and supervision.
Sell worked for the district between 2005 and 2011. He was arrested in 2013 and charged with multiple felony sex crimes involving district students. He was eventually convicted of stalking and sexual offenses involving a minor and sentenced to a year in jail.
The plaintiffs, now in their thirties, are seeking at least $35,000 in compensation for physical and mental harms, along with punitive damages against Sell.
SB Unified told KCBX it’s reviewing the complaint and pointed out that the alleged abuse dates back more than a decade. It declined further comment.
Michael Carney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said survivors of childhood sexual abuse often take years to process the trauma. Under California law, survivors can file lawsuits until the age of 40.
A likely next step is litigation, where evidence would be exchanged. If the district does not settle, the case could go to a jury trial.
