LA School District Offers $17 Million to Settle Sex Abuse Claims
40 students claim they were molested by two teachers
Los Angeles Unified School District offered Wednesday to pay $17 million to settle 40 claims filed by students who say they were molested by two teachers at Miramonte Elementary School, according to the district's top attorney.
The offer, which is good for 30 days, pencils out to about $425,000 for each of the youngsters who claim they were abused by former Miramonte teachers Mark Berndt and Martin Springer.
That compares to a $30 million deal announced in March that will pay 61 other children about $470,000 each.
"We believe this is a fair offer that will provide for the health and welfare of the students for the remainder of their lifetimes," general counsel David Holmquist said during a morning news conference at LAUSD headquarters.
