Scientology school in LA sued over cover-up of coach imprisoned for sex abuse
It was already a terrible story in 2017 when Randolph Jackson, then a 29-year-old former basketball coach, pleaded guilty to six counts of molesting boys at a charter school in Santa Clarita, a Los Angeles suburb. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison, where he remains today.
But what made it even worse was that before he had arrived at the charter school, he had previously worked at Delphi Academy, a Scientology school where officials had received troubling reports about him and a boy at that school. Rather than turn him in, however, Delphi recommended Jackson when he decided to move to the charter school.
Now, the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard has filed a lawsuit against Delphi Academy on behalf of the John Doe student who was victimized by Jackson there. Here are two paragraphs from the press release that the law firm put out this week:
The lawsuit claims that John Doe, the former student, was repeatedly sexually molested by Jackson during the 2011-2012 school year. Jackson allegedly exploited his position to isolate Doe, providing car rides and assigning him as an athletic department assistant. The abuse occurred on school grounds, including the Athletics office, sports shed, and boys’ restroom.
The complaint alleges that Karen Dale, Delphi Academy’s Head, was aware of Jackson’s misconduct but failed to take appropriate action. Instead of addressing the issue, Dale reportedly recommended Jackson for a position at Albert Einstein Academy in Santa Clarita after his contract at Delphi expired. This recommendation allegedly enabled Jackson to continue his predatory behavior, leading to the molestation of six additional boys between 13 and 17 years old at Albert Einstein Academy. Jackson was eventually arrested in February 2015 and sentenced to 17 years and eight months in state prison.
Delphi is still in business in Lake View Terrace, and it’s part of the Delphi network of schools that is headquartered at Scientology’s expensive boarding school, the Delphian, in Oregon. (The non-Scientology Santa Clarita charter school closed in 2017, records show.)
We expect that Delphi Academy and Scientology will play the usual game where they deny that the school has any real “ties” to the church. But of course Delphian and the Delphi Academies can only operate using L. Ron Hubbard’s “Study Tech” under a license from the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE), a subsidiary of the Church of Scientology that is staffed only with Sea Org employees who have signed billion-year contracts.
Delphi Academy is Scientology. But will the church send its best lawyers to defend the school? We have our doubts.
Here’s the entire complaint. Let us know what strikes you the most.
COMMON ALLEGATIONS
1. Plaintiff JOHN DOE was groomed and repeatedly sexually molested commencing in or about the 2011-2012 school year at Delphi Academy of Los Angeles within DELPHI SCHOOLS, INC. [“DELPHI”] by DELPHI’s athletic director RANDOLPH CLIFFORD JACKSON [“JACKSON”].
2. Defendant DELPHI is a nonprofit corporation with its principal place of business in the County of Yamhill, State of Oregon. DELPHI was established in 1973 and consists of a group of independent private schools providing uniquely modified teaching methods to students in grades kindergarten through twelve. DELPHI manages and operates the Delphi Academy of Los Angeles, a kindergarten through 12th grade school located in the foothills of the Angelese National Forest in the community of Lake View Terrace. DELPHI is charged with the duty to implement various programs and procedures for the safe education of students entrusted to its care, including students attending Delphi Academy of Los Angeles.
3. JACKSON was at all relevant times an athletic director at Delphi Academy of Los Angeles and an employee of DELPHI.
4. Plaintiff JOHN DOE was, at all relevant times, a California resident. He is represented herein by pseudonym due to the unusually sensitive nature of the allegations of this complaint. JOHN DOE is an adult under the age of 40.
5. Prior to and/or during the abuse of Plaintiff, JACKSON openly exhibited grooming behaviors toward one or more male students including: spending time alone with students after school hours, touching students inappropriately, exposing his genitals to students, driving students in his car to and/or from school alone, making sexually inappropriate comments, showing pornographic images to minor students, and buying meals and/or gifts for one or more male students.
6. Upon information and belief Karen Dale, the Head of Delphi Academy of Los Angeles, was made aware of JACKSON’s inappropriate behavior with one or more minor, male students and took no action to suspend JACKSON from teaching at DELPHI, nor did she report JACKSON’s behavior to law enforcement or CPS. Instead, she recommended JACKSON for a job at Albert Einstein Academy in Santa Clarita.
7. In the 2011-2012 school year, JACKSON asked Plaintiff to be one of his assistants in the athletic department, helping JACKSON with tasks such as setting up for trainings and sport matches. JACKSON began frequently giving Plaintiff rides home from school in his vehicle, driving Plaintiff off-campus during the school day in his vehicle, and buying meals for Plaintiff. JACKSON isolated Plaintiff in his office and in the gym behind blocked windows and/or doors on numerous occasions.
8. In that same school year, JACKSON sexually abused Plaintiff in various ways including but not limited to masturbation, oral copulation and digital penetration. JACKSON’s abuse of Plaintiff occurred on and off the Delphi Academy of Los Angeles campus. During the 2012-2013 school year, JACKSON continued sexually abusing Plaintiff, including on school grounds in the Athletics office, the gym, the sports shed, and in a boys’ restroom.
9. JACKSON was arrested in February of 2015 after reports were made that JACKSON had continued to sexually abuse minor children at Albert Einstein Academy. From 2010 until his conviction in 2015, JACKSON abused six victims under the age of 16. In or about 2015, those individuals came forward to report the abuse they suffered. Specifically, during the 2010-2011 school year, JACKSON continuously sexually abused a minor student under the age of 14, which included oral copulation. This also included one victim during the 2013-2014 school year, and three victims during the 2014-2015 school year. JACKSON repeatedly abused one minor student over the course of three years from 2011-2014. JACKSON pled no contest and was convicted of nine counts of continuous sexual abuse, oral copulation of a person under 16, and lewd acts on a child.
10. The true names and/or capacities, whether individual, corporate, associate, or otherwise, of defendants named herein as ROES 1 through 25, inclusive are unknown to Plaintiff at this time, and Plaintiff therefore sues said defendants by such fictitious names. Plaintiff will seek leave to amend this Complaint to allege their true names and capacities when the same have been ascertained. Plaintiff is informed and believes and thereon alleges that each of the defendants designated herein as a ROE is responsible in some manner or is otherwise legally liable to Plaintiff for the injuries complained of herein.
11. At all times herein mentioned, each of the defendants was an agent, servant, employee, partner, joint venturer, franchisee, alter ego, aider and abettor, and/or co-conspirator, and engaged in a common or common enterprises with each of the remaining defendants herein, and was at all relevant times acting within the course and scope of said agency, service, employment, partnership, joint venture, franchise, unlawful enterprise, conspiracy and/or other lawful or unlawful conduct as herein alleged.
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
Sexual Assault of a Minor
As and for a First Cause of Action, Plaintiff alleges against defendants RANDOLPH CLIFFORD JACKSON, and ROES 1 through 5 as follows:
12. Plaintiff hereby incorporates all paragraphs of his Common Allegations, as though set forth in full herein.
13. As an employee of DELPHI, JACKSON was under a duty to refrain from engaging in any harmful activity towards the students entrusted to DELPHI’s care, including Plaintiff.
14. Commencing in 2011, JACKSON used his position of trust and authority as an Athletic Director to groom Plaintiff for his sexual advances, exercise control over his person to comply with his demands, and sexually assault Plaintiff including, inter alia, masturbation and oral copulation.
15. As a legal result of the foregoing, Plaintiff was injured in health, strength and activity, sustaining bodily injuries and shock and injury to his nervous system and person, all of which caused and continue to cause Plaintiff great mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering. Plaintiff has thereby sustained damages in an amount in excess of the minimum jurisdictional limits of this court.
16. The acts of defendant JACKSON perpetrated upon Plaintiff were intentional, malicious, and/or oppressive, entitling Plaintiff to punitive damages against JACKSON pursuant to Civil Code §3294.
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
Negligent Hiring, Supervision and/or Retention of Jackson
As and for a Second Cause of Action, Plaintiff alleges against defendants DELPHI SCHOOLS, INC. and ROES 6 through 15 as follows:
17. Plaintiff hereby incorporates all paragraphs of his Common Allegations and First Cause of Action as though set forth in full herein.
18. As a minor and a student enrolled at DELPHI, a special relationship existed with DELPHI by which Plaintiff was entitled to a reasonably safe environment in which to learn, free from inappropriate sexual displays, grooming behaviors, inappropriate touching, and sexual behaviors from teachers and others employed in a position of trust and authority at said school.
19. JACKSON used his position of trust and authority as an athletic director to groom Plaintiff for his sexual advances and to commit lewd and lascivious acts upon Plaintiff and/or to sexually assault Plaintiff.
20. DELPHI’s employees owed Plaintiff a duty of care to avoid harming him by, inter alia, properly screening personnel, properly supervising personnel to detect and deter inappropriate conduct around minor students, and properly disciplining personnel who present a risk of harm to students. DELPHI’s employees were at all relevant times mandated reporters under the Child Abuse Neglect & Reporting Act; and therefore, required to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect to law enforcement and/or child protective services.
21. DELPHI’s employees breached said duty owed to Plaintiff by, inter alia, failing to properly supervise JACKSON, failing to detect and deter JACKSON’s predatory behavior [such as being alone with a minor after instructional hours and in his vehicle], failing to properly discipline JACKSON, failing to properly monitor JACKSON and/or his office and/or classroom, failing to terminate JACKSON, failing to notify law enforcement or child protective services upon learning of a reasonable suspicion of abuse with respect to JACKSON, and failing to train and/or educate DELPHI’s employees on how to detect and deter teachers and/or staff from engaging in inappropriate grooming behavior with students.
22. As a legal result of the foregoing, Plaintiff was sexually assaulted and thereby suffered physical, mental and emotional injuries, all to his general damages as hereinbefore alleged.
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
Negligent Supervision of Plaintiff
As and for a Third Cause of Action, Plaintiff alleges against defendants DELPHI SCHOOLS, INC. and ROES 16 through 25 as follows:
23. Plaintiff hereby incorporates all paragraphs of his Common Allegations and First and Second Causes of Action, as though set forth in full herein.
24. DELPHI owed a duty to protect Plaintiff while he was entrusted to its care. As Plaintiff was a student within DELPHI, DELPHI’s employees owed him a duty of care to, inter alia, properly supervise Plaintiff to protect him from potential dangers while on school grounds and to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse to law enforcement and/or child protective services.
25. DELPHI’s employees breached said duties owed by failing to properly supervise Plaintiff such that JACKSON was allowed to openly groom and sexually assault Plaintiff on school grounds and/or to transport Plaintiff in his personal vehicle off school grounds wherein he sexually assaulted him; by failing to detect JACKSON’s isolation of Plaintiff on school grounds during and/or after instructional hours; and failing to train and/or educate DELPHI’s employees on how to effectively supervise its students.
26. As a legal result of the foregoing, Plaintiff was repeatedly sexually assaulted and/or molested, and thereby suffered physical, mental and emotional injuries, all to his general damages as hereinbefore alleged.
PRAYER
WHEREFORE, as to each and all causes of action, plaintiff prays judgment as follows: 1. For general damages and other non-economic relief, according to proof;
2. For prejudgment interest, as allowed by law;
3. For punitive damages against defendant JACKSON;
4. For costs of suit herein; and,
5. For such other and further relief as the court may deem fit and proper.
Dated: October 17, 2024
CERRI, BOSKOVICH & ALLARD LLP
By: MARK J. BOSKOVICH Attorneys for Plaintiff
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As a parent, this story is horrifying. I knew “Coach Jackson” and my young son attended school with him. Fortunately, I’ve verified that my son was not a victim. My heart goes out to those who suffered any abuse.
How many more were there at Delphi? Did they agree to arbitration? Will the court even be willing to entertain arbitration as a thought if these students’ parents signed documents agreeing to arbitration. It is increasingly difficult to read about Scientology because there’s so little good. I just can’t believe I fell for this house of horrors. And actively helped it.
Because Scientology claims to heal your mind, those of us who bought that spiel have so much to untangle after we leave.
In the late 1980s, I had a friend whose mother was a psychologist for the Jordan School District in Utah. Some of the children there were being sexually abused by their LDS bishop. She reported it to the authorities. The bishop was punished appropriately and the children got the counseling they needed. However, behind the scenes, this woman was excommunicated from the LDS church because she was told “we police our own.” She quit her job because of that. She basically gave up and died. Although she did what was right and protected the people in her care, she was punished for doing that. It destroyed her.
The Delphi California School is registered with the California Secretary of State under the Oregon address and charter as a foreign corporation. Karen Dale is not listed as an employee there presently. I wonder where Karen is. I wonder if the recommendation was Karen’s choice, or if that is something we will ever know.