Student sues elite Brentwood School after female teacher 'repeatedly had sex with him' and a school guidance counselor 'encouraged' the teen to pursue the relationship

  • Brentwood School in Los Angeles is being sued after former teacher Dr. Aimee Palmitessa was charged with 12 felony counts of sexual assault
  • Palmitessa is accused of 'seducing' an unidentified male student by becoming his advocate during honor board procedures, stemming from his singing the n-word in a song in 2016
  • The lawsuit alleges that it turned into a sexual relationship that staff knew about
  • The school is accused of looking the other way, and in at least one instance, encouraging Doe to pursue a relationship with his teacher in 2017
  • The suit claims that the school failed to properly supervise Palmitessa and seeks damages for sexual battery, fraud and negligence
  • Palmitessa was placed on administrative leave at the time of her arrest in August 2017, and departed in September following the school's internal investigation
  • The school said on Monday that it is in the process of evaluating the lawsuit filed by Doe's family and that legal counsel would respond as appropriate 
  • Palmitessa pleaded not guilty to all charges in September and is free on bail

Aimee Palmitessa pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and was immediately sentenced to three years in state prison on Thursday

Brentwood School, a private school in Los Angeles has been sued for allegedly failing to protect a 17-year-old male student from sexual encounters with one of his teachers, Dr. Aimee Palmitessa (pictured), in a lawsuit filed on Monday

A prestigious private school in Los Angeles is being sued for failing to protect a 17-year-old male student from sexual encounters with one of his teachers.

The Brentwood School - much loved by the Hollywood A-list - is accused of looking the other way, and in at least one instance, encouraging a student referred to as John Doe to pursue a relationship with his teacher, Dr. Aimee Palmitessa in 2017. 

Palmitessa taught chemistry at the private school which is known for its celebrity alumni including Adam Levine and Seth Rogan.

Multiple school employees are said to have known about Palmitessa's alleged abuse of power in its earliest stages, but rather than report it as required by law, instead told her to 'stay away' from the teen, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The suit claims that the school failed to properly supervise Palmitessa and seeks damages for sexual battery, fraud and negligence in the suit filed on Monday.

The school released a statement on Monday saying that it is in the process of evaluating the lawsuit filed by Doe's family and that legal counsel would respond as appropriate.

'Despite the litigation, we sympathize with the student and family for the pain this situation has caused them,' Head of School Mike Riera said. 

The assaults on the teen are believed to have occurred between June 12 and August 11 of last year, according to ABC News

Palmitessa is shown in court last September, where she pleaded no guilty to all 12 felony charges including seven counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of sodomy, two counts of sexual penetration by foreign object of a person under the age of 18 and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18

Palmitessa is shown here in court in Los Angeles in September, where she pleaded not guilty to all 12 felony charges of sexual assault that remain pending against her

Palmitessa was arrested on felony charges on August 18, after Doe showed explicit messages, photos and videos to his family, who then notified police, authorities said.

The teen revealed what was happening after his father checked his location using a smart phone application and found him to be at Palmitessa's house in Hollywood rather than at football practice, the suit said.

Palmitessa was then recorded on phone calls begging the student not to share the details of their encounters, threatening him and talking about their sexual interactions, the lawsuit said. 

Prior to that, the teacher was seen by other students taking Doe to a concert in August 2017. 

Palmitessa worked at Brentwood School for about nine years until 2017 and the 17-year-old male victim was once a student in one of her classes. She had sex with him summer 2017 and arrested shortly after he told authorities

The Brentwood School released a statement on Monday that it is in the process of evaluating the lawsuit filed by Doe's family and that legal counsel would respond as appropriate.

Statement from Brentwood School 

August 6, 2018

On August 18 of last year, the Los Angeles Police Department informed Brentwood School that Upper School teacher, Dr. Aimee Palmitessa, had been arrested on suspicion of inappropriate relations with a student. We immediately placed Dr. Palmitessa on administrative leave and subsequently confirmed that she would not return to school.

We took these shocking and distressing allegations seriously, cooperating fully with investigators at the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney's Office. We care deeply about our students and all aspects of their well-being, individually and collectively. To that end, we worked closely with faculty and counselors to support our students, offered families resources as they helped their children navigate their reactions to the news, made special accommodations for the family involved, and communicated updates to our entire school community.

In September, Brentwood School retained Julie Yanow to conduct an internal investigation, separate from the police investigation. The information gathered by Ms. Yanow was helpful to the school's decision making process and resulted in the school separating Dr. Palmitessa. It also led to enhanced communication of the school's clearly articulated policies about boundaries and behavior as well as additional faculty/staff training.

The criminal proceedings against Dr. Palmitessa are still ongoing. However, the family has now filed a civil suit against the School and we are in the process of evaluating it. The School's legal counsel will respond as appropriate. Despite the litigation, we sympathize with the student and family for the pain this situation has caused them. We remain committed to all of our students and to respecting their privacy. We ask that you do the same.

Dr. Mike Riera, Head of School 

Source: Brentwood School 

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The lawsuit states that Palmitessa 'seduced' Doe by becoming his advocate during a school honor board proceeding where he was set to be disciplined for being filmed singing a song containing the n-word aboard a yacht in May of 2016. 

John Doe reached out to school counselor Robert Jost, after Palmitessa was seen grabbing his hands in the school's quad in May of 2017, the lawsuit says.

Doe then confessed he loved an older woman, and admitted it was a teacher. 

'Remarkably, Mr. Jost counseled John Doe by encouraging the relationship,' the lawsuit states, claiming that Jost brought up the relationship of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, who is 24 years his senior and his former French teacher.

'Mr. Jost’s advice indelibly changed the course of John Doe’s life,' the suit states, adding that Jost advised Palmitessa to 'keep her distance' from Doe, rather than reporting the situation.

The suit alleges others on staff at Brentwood School 'witnessed the evolution of the relationship,' with one female colleague advising Palmitessa to 'stay away' from Doe.

It's also alleged that school officials had knowledge of another male student 'bragging about sexual conduct' with Palmitessa, and that he was known to be in possession of 'nude or partially nude' images of the teacher.

School officials in California are required by state law to report suspected sexual abuse of students to the proper authorities, but no police reports were made regarding these incidents, the lawsuit says.

'Brentwood School failed in in every way to live up to their stated mission and core values concerning our student,' Sean Walsh, speaking on behalf of the law firm Browne George Ross, said.

Walsh was referring to the school's stated core values, which include trust, respect, responsibility, honesty and caring.

'None of those stated principles was afforded to our student and we wonder how many others have had their trust violated,' he said. 

Riera said on Monday that the school launched its own internal investigation in September, led by Julie Yanow, which resulted in Palmitessa's separation.

Prior to that, Palmitessa had been employed at Brentwood School, which charges up to $40,760 a year for tuition, since September 2010. 

The school sits in one of Los Angeles’s most affluent neighborhoods and is famous for attracting celebrity parents. Reese Witherspoon's daughter Ava, 18, whose father is Ryan Phillippe attended the school and other famous alumni include Patrick Schwarzenegger, 24, whose parents are former California governor Arnold, 71, and his ex-wife Maria Shriver, 62, and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, 39.

Patrick Schwarzenegger (pictured), whose parents are former California governor Arnold and his ex-wife Maria Shriver, attended Brentwood School

Patrick Schwarzenegger, 24 (pictured), whose parents are former California governor Arnold, 71, and his ex-wife Maria Shriver, 62, attended Brentwood School

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine attended Brentwood School
Comedian Jonah Hill went to the school

Famous alumni also include Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, 39 (left), and comedian Jonah Hill, 34 (right)

Comedian Jonah Hill, 34, Boy Meets World actor Ben Savage, 37, and socialite Talita von Fürstenberg, 19, who is the granddaughter of Diane von Fürstenberg, also attended the school.

In its statement on Monday, the school urged everyone to remain mindful of the privacy of the Brentwood School community.

'We remain committed to all of our students and to respecting their privacy,' it read. 'We ask that you do the same.'

The criminal case against Palmitessa remains ongoing at this time.

Palmitessa has been charged with 12 felony counts, including seven counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of sodomy, two counts of sexual penetration by foreign object of a person under the age of 18 and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18.

She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains free on a posted bail of $230,000.

In its August 2018 statement the school urged everyone to remain mindful of the privacy of the Brentwood School community

In its statement on Monday, the school urged everyone to remain mindful of the privacy of the Brentwood School community

 

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