Following up on The Orinda News article about the lawsuit filed against Miramonte High School and the Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD) published in our February issue, we contacted Jessica Dayton, attorney for the plaintiffs; John Nickerson, Superintendent of AUHSD and Ben Campopiano, Principal of Miramonte High School.
According to Dayton, all developments in the case are technical, legal ones. In an email, she responded to our request for an update as follows: “The school has filed a demurrer, claiming the statute under which these plaintiffs filed is unconstitutional and thus their claims are time-barred. I do not think their position has merit but we will have a hearing on it on April 10.”
Neither Nickerson nor Campopiano were working in their current positions when the sexual assaults referenced in the lawsuit happened. They have been advised by legal counsel not to comment on any issues pertaining to the lawsuit, including measures and practices that are in place to prevent similar situations.
The teacher at the center of the lawsuit, Mark Litton, was sentenced to two years in prison as a result of the sexual assault of one of the underaged plaintiffs. He was not required to register as a sex offender and he has changed his name. He is no longer working as a teacher and he is not working in Orinda or Contra Costa County.
See our February issue online at theorindanews.com to read the original article. The Orinda News will continue to provide updates as significant progress occurs.
Kathy Codova can be reached at cordova@theorindanews,com.