The family of a young boy who say he was sexually abused by a former Rowland Unified School District teacher has filed a lawsuit against the district for neglect.
The plaintiffs allege that district authorities were aware of the criminal history of former teacher José Cruz Martínez but did nothing to prevent him from having contact with the students.
“Mr. Martinez raped our client when our client was 7, 8 years old," said Michael Carrillo, the attorney in the case.
Martínez, 55, was sentenced in May 2023 to 20 years in prison for his acts against minors while he was teaching at Rowland Elementary School.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
“What we are demanding here is justice, holding these inept administrators of this school district accountable,” Carrillo said.
The Rowland Elementary School principal had already received complaints against Martinez in 2012 but only brought it to his attention. As the allegations continued, he was transferred to another school within the district.
"I want justice to be done for what my son has been through," said the victim's mother. "It is something that no parent wants to happen to their children, it is unfair that the school has allowed this."
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Martínez had already been sentenced in 2019 to five years in prison for lewd acts against five girls between the ages of 7 and 8.
“When there are complaints against teachers, school districts, administrators, they turn a blind eye and therefore the criminals continue to do their misdeeds,” said Carrillo.
The plaintiff claims that there was gross negligence on the part of the school district to protect the students of Jose Cruz Martinez, knowing that he was a danger to them.
"He is a defenseless child who has to experience all that trauma, that trauma that I think no matter how many years pass, it remains marked in your life," said the victim's mother.
The Rowland Unified School District issued a statement saying:
"After receiving the information about the alleged misconduct, the protocol was followed and the police were immediately contacted and the teacher was removed from the institution," the statement said.
“The district cooperated with the law through the investigation and data collection. the matter has been addressed by the police and the judicial system”
Detectives believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information about the latest case against Martinez is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office of Special Victims tip line at 1-877-710-5273.
