Orange County School District Employee Arrested for Alleged Child Sex Abuse

On Friday, February 24, 2023, an employee of an Orange County school district was arrested for alleged child molestations. The suspect has been identified as 45-year-old David Escobar, who currently is employed as a safety officer with the Santa Ana Unified School District specifically at Saddleback High School.

The report came from an adult female who said that Escobar molested her when she was just 4 years old, and he was 20 years old. During the investigation, authorities discovered another victim who claimed that she was sexually molested by the suspect when she was a teenager.

Prior to being employed with the district, Escobar worked as an after-school program coordinator with the City of Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Department (from 1996 to 2011).

According to the authorities, neither victim was enrolled in the after-school programs that Escobar was running at the time of the molestation.

The police believe that there may be more victims and urge them to come forward.

Unfortunately, it is very common for people with a history of working with children to be arrested for child molestation. With Escobar, specifically, it appears that he has been working in a close proximity to children for all, if not most, of his adult life.

Victims of child sex abuse may have the right to file a lawsuit and recover compensation. If you or a loved one were a victim of David Escobar, we urge you to come forward and file a lawsuit for the harm suffered. Here at our law firm, our lawyers have decades of experience handling child sex assault claims and are ready to hold all liable parties and entities accountable. If you are ready to explore your legal options and discuss your right to sue with the experts here at our firm, contact the Downtown L.A. Law Group today.

About Child Sex Assault and Its Lasting Consequences

Child sex assault is an umbrella term that covers any sort of sexual activity with a minor, including molestation, groping, rape, attempted rape, etc. Without a doubt, child sex abuse can have physical effects, including sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, injuries to genitals, injuries to reproductive organs, fractures, lacerations, etc. In addition, child sex abuse typically also have lasting mental and emotional effects. For instance, victims can be left suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorder, fear, depression, etc. For many victims, the mental and emotional effects of child sex abuse continue to be present long after physical injuries heal.

Your Right to Sue

So, can you file a lawsuit for the sexual abuse that you suffered as a minor? Yes – you could certainly have grounds to file a lawsuit. Can you sue the school district? Can you sue the city agency? Yes, you can sue these entities based on the details surrounding your claim. Typically, the right to sue is based on negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent supervising, or even failing to address reports or allegations of abuse, for example. In other words, school districts and other city entities (like a parks and rec department) could be liable for any sexual abuse that their employee commits on the job. For more information about your right to sue, contact the experts here at our law firm immediately.

What Should You Do?

If you were a victim of David Escobar, you should contact the authorities. Contacting the authorities will ensure that the suspect is charged for your abuse. However, you should also seek legal assistance as soon as possible. With the help of a lawyer, you will be able to fight for your right to sue and recover compensation for the harm that you suffered. Our experts can guide you every step of the way.

How Long Do You Have to Sue?

In California, victims of child sex assault have up to age 40 or 5 years after discovering the harm caused by the abuse to file their lawsuit. If you fail to file your claim on time, then you run the risk of losing your right to sue entirely. For more information about the total time that you have t file your claim, contact us today. Our lawyers are ready to do everything necessary to file your claim on time and start fighting for your rights.

The Compensation Available for Recovery

In general, the categories of compensation available for recovery can include the following:

• Medical expenses
• Lost earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages
• Wrongful death benefits
• Treble damages (applies to cases that were covered up)
• Legal fees

Of course, there is no guarantee that you would be able to recover all of these different categories of compensation listed above. For more information about the specific compensation that you could be awarded, contact the experts here at our firm immediately. Our lawyers are ready to fight for your right to recover the highest payout available for your claim.

What is the Average Value of Child Sex Assault Claims?

In general, child sex assault cases tend to be high value, even more so when they are filed against government entities like school districts and other city agencies. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult and even misleading to try and determine an average value that applies to every child sex abuse case, as these cases are so different from one another. Ultimately, these cases can be worth up to $10 million dollars (depending on case details). For a more in-depth and case-specific discussion of the possible value of your child sex assault claim, contact the experts here at our law firm at your earliest convenience.

How Long Will I Have to Wait for a Settlement?

Here at our law firm, we understand that just thinking about how long the settlement process can be is enough to make victims feel like going through with the process simply isn’t worth it. We understand that it is very difficult for victims to file claims, as they essentially have to relive the experience all over again. We are dedicated to making things as easy as possible for you. Part of doing so is working with the goal of reaching a settlement as quickly as possible. In general, our experts can settle these cases in 6 to 8 months. Even when things get complicated, our team can typically settle these types of cases in under 2 years. The exception is class action claims, which can take well over 2 years to settle. Regardless, when our team is handling your case, you can trust that our lawyers will always do everything possible to settle your claim within a reasonable length of time.

Contact the Downtown L.A. Law Group Today

Whether you suffered child sex assault at the hands of David Escobar or any other district or city employee, it is important that you understand that you could have the right to file a lawsuit. Here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group, our lawyers have decades of experience handling all sorts of personal injury claims, including child sex assault cases. Our lawyers are committed to our clients – to fighting for their rights and getting them the highest recover possible.

We offer free legal services, which include free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our expert attorneys will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. In other words, our child sex assault lawyers will be able to provide you with absolutely all the information that you need to begin or continue your claim. Yes – our experts will be able to help you even if you have already started the legal process elsewhere. To benefit from our free legal services, contact the experts here at our firm today.

Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that you will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. In addition, our firm works on a strict contingency structure; therefore, our clients will not be required to pay anything until after winning their claims.

If you are ready to explore your legal options and speak with our lawyers, contact us today.