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Picture: Pomona High School; via Wikipedia.
The Pomona Unified School District has agreed to pay $25 million to resolve the last two of a series of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by former coaches at Pomona High School in the 1990s, the Daily Bulletin reported Thursday.
The district announced the settlements during a closed session of the Board of Education on September 10. One lawsuit was settled for $7 million and another for $18 million to be divided among three plaintiffs, according to district spokesman Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence.
“The individuals accused of misconduct no longer work for the district,” Gonzales-Lawrence said. “PUSD remains steadfast in its commitment to student safety and well-being, and continues to strengthen policies, procedures, and training to foster a safe, supportive and respectful environment for every student entrusted to our care.” He added that the district believed settlement was the most appropriate resolution, given that the alleged conduct occurred decades ago.
The lawsuits were filed after the 2019 passage of Assembly Bill 218, which extended the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual assault. Eight women came forward, alleging they had been groomed and abused by coaches, including one who was also a locker room supervisor, during the mid-to-late 1990s. The coaches ranged in age from their 20s to 40s at the time.
The women, now mostly in their 40s, had participated in track or cheerleading while at Pomona High. One left the school after her freshman year and another moved out of state before graduating. No criminal charges were ever filed against district staff.
In January 2024, a jury awarded $35 million to one woman, identified as Jane Doe #4, who had dropped out before graduation and later returned to complete her GED. Three others had previously reached settlements.
The latest settlements involve Jane Doe #8 in one case and Jane Does #5, #6, and #7 in another. The lawsuits alleged that the women were abused while still minors.
Jane Doe #8, a track athlete, said she was groomed and abused on campus by coaches Herman Hopson and Brian Crichlow during her sophomore and junior years. She said she did not realize the extent of her injuries until 2023, when she connected her psychological harm as an adult to the abuse and learned that others had also been victimized.
In the other lawsuit, Jane Doe #5 alleged abuse by Crichlow, Jane Doe #6 alleged abuse by Hopson and Derick Pugh, and Jane Doe #7 alleged abuse by Vincent Spirlin. The plaintiffs said the coaches lured them into the boys’ locker room office, where they were given alcohol and, in some cases, marijuana before being abused on and off campus. Jane Doe #5 said she left the school after her freshman year because she was humiliated by being referred to as “Brian Crichlow’s girlfriend.”
The former coaches went on to pursue other coaching positions. Crichlow now leads the women’s basketball program at Mt. San Antonio College. Pugh coaches men’s basketball at Ventura College. Spirlin coached Ganesha High School’s girls basketball team to a CIF Southern Section title in 2020.
The settlements were reached outside of court by the plaintiffs and their attorneys. Roberta Perlman, clerk of the Pomona Unified School District Board of Education, declined to comment. The district’s attorney also declined to comment.
