Seattle Public Schools Agree $3M Settlement In Sex Abuse Case

SEATTLE, WA —Seattle Public Schools have reached a $3 million settlement with a teenage female plaintiff who said she was abused by a district instructional assistant and coach for two years after the coach allegedly had been fired from another district school for "a pattern of predatory behavior," a law firm representing the teenager said Monday.

The suit was filed in December 2020 and the trial was scheduled to begin on June 20 of this year, according to King 5.

According to the firm of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, the 15-year-old was a student at Ballard High School when she allegedly was abused by Meghan Miller, a coach and instructional assistant who worked with special needs students at the school. The abuse took place on a weekly basis from 2016 to 2018, the firm said in a release.

Miller eventually was arrested and charged with one count of child molestation in the third degree and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree. She was later convicted and jailed, and now is a registered sex offender.

According to the law firm, substantial evidence was uncovered by attorneys and co-council that showed SPS knew that Miller posed a danger to children.

Miller initially was hired by SPS in 20o7 as an assistant girls soccer coach and basketball coach at Roosevelt High School. But during her time at that school, Miller's demonstrated what her direct supervisor described as "a pattern of predatory behavior" and repeated boundary violations with students. This led to her immediate termination in 2009, according to the law firm.

However, despite this prior termination, the law firm said Miller was rehired by SPS in 2010 to be an assistant girls soccer coach at Ballard High School. Her responsibilities were expanded to include instructional assistant work in 2015, according to King 5.

"We believe the evidence shows the Seattle Public Schools failed at every turn to prevent Miller from grooming and sexually abusing the plaintiff," attorney Steven Reich said. "We hope this settlement leads to the school district recognizing the need to implement better policies and procedures regarding the danger of sexual abuse."

The settlement comes just a few weeks after another case of alleged abuse at an SPS school.

In April, Abdi Hassan, an English as a Second Language instructor at Rainier View Elementary, was charged with two counts of child molestation for abuse that allegedly occurred during the 2015-16 school year, King 5 reported.