$102M Award In Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Union School District

SAN JOSE, CA — Two former students who said they were sexually abused for years by a San Jose middle school teacher were reportedly awarded a total of more than $100 million in a lawsuit against Union School District and teacher.

As Patch previously reported, Samuel Neipp, of Gilroy, was a music teacher at Dartmouth Middle School accused of grooming at least two young girls for a sexually abusive relationship.

In 2017, one of the former students — who was 12 when she was groomed — filed a lawsuit while in her senior year of college after learning the teacher had preyed on other girls, too. She reported the abuse for the first time, and Neipp was arrested. School administrators were accused of failing to investigate Neipp's behavior and allowing him to continue spending time with her at the school.

On Tuesday, a civil jury awarded $102.5 million to two women who sued the district, The Mercury News reported. It was reportedly one of the largest school neglect lawsuit awards in the history of Santa Clara County.

A woman identified as Jane Doe 1 was awarded $65 million and a woman identified as Jane Doe 2 was awarded $37.5 million, the Mercury News reported. The jury faulted the district 80 percent and Niepp 20 percent in the first case, and 55 percent and 45 percent in the second case.

A judge still has to sign off on the award.

Lauren Cerri, who represented Jane Doe 1, told KPIX the young women are the "true heroes in this story."

"This verdict proves that members of our community will not tolerate school districts that put the image and reputation of the school over the safety of children from sexual abuse,” Cerri said.

One lawsuit against the school district was filed by a victim who told police Niepp sexually abused her and later threatened to post nude photos of her online. She attended Dartmouth, and beginning in 2014 Niepp began grooming her for a sexually abusive relationship. The abuse escalated to include sex acts and continued through her high school years.

A complaint filed by attorneys on behalf of the other woman said administrators and staff told Neipp and the girl they spent an inappropriate amount of time together. But the district didn't actively stop the behavior and didn't act on prior reports about Neipp.

The sexual abuse, which happened around 2009, escalated to the point of sex acts, penetration and sexual groping when the girl was 14, according to the complaint, which said Neipp took advantage of her at a vulnerable time in her life.

Neipp, now 39, pleaded no contest to numerous charges in 2019 and is serving 56 years in prison.