Letter sent from MUS on June 2, 2025

Dear MUS Staff and Families,

In March 2023, we shared with our community that MUS had been served with a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse from 1972-1976 by a former employee. While we are limited in what we can discuss due to the ongoing litigation, the Montecito Union School District Board has asked me to communicate what we can about this matter.

Like hundreds of school districts and other local public agencies across the state, the sex abuse lawsuit MUS is grappling with is the result of the legislature’s allowance of new cases to be filed for decades-old allegations. As a result of AB 218, passed in 2019, a period of time was established during which such suits were permitted to be filed without regard to the statute of limitations or timely claims filing requirements.

In the suit against MUS, the claims involve allegations from 1972-1976. The lawsuit was filed by three individuals – now in their late 50s – who allege they were sexually abused by a staff member and that other staff were aware of and failed to prevent the abuse. The district has denied the allegations.

The alleged wrongdoer is long deceased, and no current MUS employees were working at the district during that time. We have negotiated a settlement with one of the plaintiffs, and we are proceeding with the defense of the two remaining claims.

AB 218 has drawn considerable scrutiny, including by the media, as it has been estimated that school districts will spend $2-$3 billion on these cases – money that will not be replenished by the State.

In modern cases, districts are protected by liability insurance. However, like many public entities facing lawsuits from decades ago, MUS has not been able to locate records, like insurance policies, dating back to 1972. Our board of education records include references to specific insurance companies, but they became insolvent long ago. Despite a diligent search including the hiring of a firm that specializes in locating insurance coverage, we have been unable to locate an insurance policy. This means that any settlement agreements or judgments at trial will be the responsibility of the district.

In the defense of this lawsuit, our legal team at Griffith and Thornburgh argued that allowing lawsuits based on 50-year-old allegations, of which the district had no prior notice, was an unconstitutional gift of public taxpayer funds that goes into the pockets of private litigants. Along with similar challenges by other school districts in different courts around the state, we submitted legal briefs to a three-judge Court of Appeal panel, which denied the claim after nearly a year. One justice saw merit in our position and recommended taking the matter to the California Supreme Court. We did so, but the California Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

We’ve also joined with other school districts and public agencies in seeking a legislative fix to the dire situations facing a number of districts who have been impacted by large jury verdicts. MUS provided input to the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team of California, which produced a report for the California legislature that warned of the fiscal danger from AB 218 and produced recommendations to the legislature about how to help. It seems deeply unfair that allegations from 1972-1976 would need to be resolved by taking away resources from students in 2025, but to date the legislature has not been willing to undertake the steps needed to protect school districts from the dire threats posed from these lawsuits.

As a result, our legal team is vigorously defending this lawsuit despite the lack of evidence and the fact that few remaining former staff members are available from that era. Prior to the filing of the lawsuits, MUS had never received any notification concerning the events in the lawsuits. The only information about abuse comes entirely from the claimants.

As of this writing, trial of the case is scheduled for this summer. Depending on what transpires, through either settlement or trial, there could be a substantial financial impact on MUS.

We want to reassure you:

– Your children are safe.

– The allegations against MUS involve purported events from many decades ago.

– MUS remains dedicated to keeping students protected.

–
If you or your child hears about the case and needs support processing the news, please contact their teacher or our counselor, Michelle Villegas, at [email protected].

As we move forward, we remain committed to our core values: kindness, respect, and integrity. We continue to uphold strict standards of professional conduct, ensure proper supervision of all employees, conduct yearly training for all school staff, and provide multiple ways to report concerns. While we are unable to discuss further details of this ongoing litigation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at [email protected] with any questions.  

Sincerely,
Anthony Ranii, Superintendent

Read MJ’s Executive Editor Gwyn Lurie’s conversation with Superintendent Ranii here.