The man accused of molesting attorney Darrell Cochran’s client pleaded guilty today in criminal court. If you know someone who has suffered abuse while at school or church, or by someone who was protected by an institution, contact us for a free consultation with an attorney.
Here is a link to the Olympian’s story today: The Olympian: Former learning center employee pleads guilty to child rape
CASE #: 65111-1-IA.G., D.F. and J.J., Res. v. Corp. of the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle, et al., Apps.
King County, Cause No. 08-2-02340-1 SEA
Counsel:Enclosed is a copy of the opinion filed in the above-referenced appeal which states in part: “We affirm.”
Excerpt: APPELWICK, J. — After settling these cases, the Archdiocese filed a motion to enforce the return or destruction of certain discovery documents, in accordance with a stipulated protective order the parties had signed. The trial court denied the Archdiocese’s motion and instead modified the protective order to allow opposing counsel, Pfau Cochran, to retain the documents because they were the subject of ongoing discovery disputes in other cases. The question of whether the documents could be used in those cases was expressly left to the discretion of the judges in those other cases. We find no abuse of discretion. We affirm.
Read the full text: 2011-04-25 — Court of Appeals 65111-1-I A.G., D.F. and J.J., Res. v. Corp. of the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle, et al. Apps.
The verdict for class plaintiffs in Rekhter v DSHS was for $57,123,795 and ranked 35th of VerdictSearch’s Top 100 Verdicts of 2010. See the complete list below:
The parents of a 6-year-old girl who allegedly was molested by a former Olympia School District bus driver sued the district Tuesday.
The lawsuit filed by Tacoma attorney Darrell Cochran alleges that the district “breached its duty and was negligent in the supervision and the protection over its students during school hours.”
Gary Shafer, 32, of Port Orchard, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation for allegedly sexually assaulting two girls on a bus in December, while acting as a helper on a route for Centennial Middle School. Shafer was being held Tuesday at the Thurston County Jail with bail set at $50,000.
The district “failed to keep students safe” by allowing Shafer “to have unfettered access to young, vulnerable children as he rode on a school bus in no official capacity other than as a self-appointed helper,” the lawsuit states. It also alleges that school district employees “observed episodes of inappropriate behavior towards (the girl) but failed to take appropriate action.”
Olympia School District spokesman Peter Rex could not be reached for comment. Rex has said in prior interviews that he cannot comment on pending litigation.
Shafer had worked for the school district since October 2005 and had driven several routes. He was placed on administrative leave during the first week of January, when the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office contacted the district about the allegations. Shafer resigned Jan. 19.
Shafer’s most recent bus assignment was route 41, which serves Reeves Middle and Hansen Elementary schools. Last week, Cochran filed a separate lawsuit alleging that the district is violating the Public Records Act by witholding documents related to its investigation of Shafer.
Cochran said he is still waiting for the documents, adding that he wants to know more about Shafer’s role as a helper when the alleged molestation occurred. As a helper, Shafer was supposed to be learning the route to act as a substitute for the Centennial Middle School driver.
Cochran said he wants to know what the driver saw and whether he tried to stop Shafer from letting children sit on his lap.
The driver “has got some explaining to do,” Cochran said.
In a tort claim notice, Cochran stated that he intends to ask the district to pay his clients $2.25 million, but the lawsuit filed Tuesday does not name a specific figure.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465 jpawloski@theolympian.com
OLYMPIA – The attorney for a 6-year-old girl who was allegedly molested by a former Olympia school bus driver has filed a lawsuit accusing the Olympia School District of violating the Public Records Act by withholding documents related to its investigation of the driver.
Gary Shafer, 32, of Port Orchard, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation for the alleged sexual assaults on two 6-year-old girls on a school bus in December. At the time of the alleged assaults, Shafer was acting as a helper on a route serving Centennial Elementary School. Shafer was being held Wednesday at the Thurston County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Tacoma attorney Darrell Cochran sent a tort claim notice to the school district in February, notifying the district that he intends to sue it for $2.25 million in damages on behalf of one of the 6-year-old girls and her parents. On Wednesday, Cochran filed a separate complaint against the district, alleging that it has failed to comply with the public records act by withholding pertinent documents related to the district’s investigation of Shafer after the allegations of molestation came to light.
“To date, the District has failed to produce these records, withholding them for the purposes of interfering with Plaintiff’s investigation of Shafer’s sexual misconduct and the District’s investigation,” reads Cochran’s complaint filed in Thurston County Superior Court.
According to exhibits attached to the lawsuit, the school district has so far shared 544 pages of material with Cochran in response to his request for documents “concerning child sexual abuse allegations against Olympia School District employee Gary D. Shafer.”
However, according to a copy of an email Cochran sent to the district after he received the 544 pages, the documents from the district contain “not much in the way of any investigatory materials by the District.”
The email Cochran sent in late March to district public records coordinator Peter Rex continues, “You indicate in your cover letter that nothing has been withheld under any claim of privilege. I want to make sure I am not misunderstanding what you have stated. The lack of records would lead me to believe that the District has made absolutely no inquiry into the molestation of its students by one of its employees. This strikes me as highly unusual, highly unlikely or simply a miscommunication by either you or me.”
Cochran states in his email that he has heard that “a counselor at one of the elementary schools actually confronted Mr. Shafer or a driver about Mr. Shafer’s presence on one of the buses. I see nothing on the records that reflects the confrontation, and I wonder if you are familiar with that situation.”
Rex’s emailed response to Cochran on March 28 reads, “… to the best of my knowledge the documents I sent to you represent all of the records that are responsive to your request of February 10, 2011. If you have other questions about the issues you’ve raised, I’d be happy to put you in touch with our legal counsel.”
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Rex said that the district cannot comment on pending litigation.
Shafer had worked for the district since October 2005 and had driven several routes, Rex said in a prior interview.
Shafer was placed on administrative leave the first week of January, when the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office contacted the district about the allegations. He resigned Jan. 19.
Shafer’s most recent bus assignment was Route 41, which serves Reeves Middle and Hansen Elementary schools.
Rex has said that Shafer passed the criminal background check required under state law when he was hired.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465 jpawloski@theolympian.com
Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/14/1615849/suit-filed-over-bus-driver-inquiry.html#ixzz1JVraZMXT
Tacoma attorney Darrell Cochran is representing the family of David Young, a victim of police brutality, who was killed by Federal Way Police Officer Matthew Leitgeb in the summer of 2010. An inquest into the shooting began Monday, March 14, 2011 in the King County Courthouse. The Seattle Times’ reporter Christine Clarridge covered the first day of the inquest with a story published last night.
Link to Seattle Times Story:
Seattle Times Website
2011-03-15 — Seattle Times Article — Inquest Day 1
The parents of a 6-year-old girl who was molested on an Olympia School District bus route are suing the school district for $2.25M. See the following news article from The Olympian for comments from Tacoma attorney Darrell Cochran, who is taking the school district on in this case.
Payne v Peninsula School District – 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Watch Thomas Vertetis argue in front of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, CA.
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