SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According a lawsuit recently filed in Marin County, California, an elite private high school failed to protect a generation of young girls from a known sexual predator who was employed by the school. The complaint filed in the case, which was filed in Marin County Superior Court (Case No. CIV2100688), alleges that Rothwell “Rusty” Taylor—the Director of Athletics and soccer coach at The Branson School in Marin County, California—subjected Plaintiff Daphne Greene to years of sexual abuse in the late 1970s, when she was a child and under the care of Branson.
The lawsuit was filed by Paul Llewellyn, founding partner of Lewis & Llewellyn – a litigation boutique based in San Francisco that has deep experience representing survivors of sexual abuse. Mr. Llewellyn described the impetus for the lawsuit as follows: “This lawsuit is about shining a light on Branson’s admitted failures to protect the children who were entrusted to its care. Ms. Greene has suffered for decades due to Branson’s callous inaction. She has bravely attached her name to this lawsuit so that her story can finally be told, and in the hopes that she can prevent other young children from suffering abuse.” Indeed, Ms. Greene had the option of filing her lawsuit as a Jane Doe and remaining anonymous, but she decided to attach her name to the lawsuit and tell her story publicly for the first time. “It’s about breaking that code of secrecy,” she recently told the San Francisco Chronicle. “There are a lot of victims and survivors and it’s time to give them a voice.”
The complaint alleges that Ms. Greene suffered hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse at the hands of Rothwell “Rusty” Taylor beginning in 1976, when she was a 15-year-old Sophomore at the school. Mr. Taylor’s sexual misconduct was so well-known at Branson, according to the lawsuit, that even school employees were aware of and, allegedly, witnessed such impropriety firsthand. The school’s own independent investigation, which was conducted in 2018 and 2019 and resulted in a public report, appears to confirm such allegations. “In several instances when Branson faculty or administrators learned of the sexual misconduct or inappropriate behavior, it is clear,” the report states, “that some matters should have been handled more swiftly, or thoroughly and with greater sensitivity to the students who were harmed.” Branson’s own report concludes as follows, “As an institution, we acknowledge our failing: Branson did not do enough to protect you and keep you safe while you were in the school’s care.”
Instead of reporting Mr. Taylor’s misconduct to the proper authorities, Branson transferred Mr. Taylor to University High School, another elite private high school in San Francisco. According to a second independent investigation released in early 2020, Mr. Taylor’s campaign of sexually abusing young students continued unabated for years at University High School. The number of children who were abused by Mr. Taylor and other faculty at these schools is unknown to this day.
The law firm representing Ms. Greene encourages anyone who experienced abuse at Branson, University High School, or any other Bay Area high school where Taylor coached , who may have information about such abuse or the individuals involved, to please contact them for a confidential discussion that will support Ms. Greene’s efforts to expose such misconduct and ensure children are safe at our schools.
About Lewis and Llewellyn LLP:
Lewis & Llewellyn is a civil litigation boutique dedicated to curbing the epidemic of sexual abuse in our schools. The firm has represented dozens of survivors in lawsuits against public and private educational institutions in California and around the country, recovering tens of millions of dollars on their behalf. Lewis & Llewellyn can be contacted via their website or by calling (415) 800-0590.
Source: Lewis & Llewellyn LLP
Media contact: Charlotte Hayward - rerickson@lewisllewellyn.com - 415-800-0590