The Kissing Club lawsuit surrounding an alleged student-formed club at Sierra Canyon School, an elite private academy in Los Angeles, is set to continue.
David Gelfound, a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, ruled on the 8th that the negligence claim regarding the school’s duty of supervision can move forward among the lawsuits filed by the victimized female student and her parents against the school.
According to the complaint, the victim, currently 10 years old, claimed that when she was 7, older female students forced her to join the ‘Kissing Club’ and compelled her to engage in sexual acts, including kissing and touching private body parts. It was also reported that she suffered ongoing harassment, such as having older students peek at her over bathroom partitions while she used the restroom.
The plaintiff’s side claimed that 7- and 8-year-old female students operated the ‘Kissing Club’ in the school restroom at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, and that the damage escalated due to the school’s negligent supervision. The victimized facts came to light when the family of another victimized student made contact, and some of the acts were reportedly captured on students’ mobile phones.
Judge Gelfound maintained the negligence claim, but requested supplementary factual evidence for the claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Claims regarding false advertising, fraud, and violations of California’s business and professions code were dismissed.
At the time the lawsuit was filed last year, Sierra Canyon representatives denied the allegations, stating that the claims raised were untrue and did not accurately reflect the actual situation.
