04/27/22

Five Sexual Assault Survivors Sue Riverside County School District for Employing Convicted Serial Sexual Abuser High School Teacher-Track Coach

Former high school teacher, track and field coach, and cross-country running coach Joe Robles, Jr. – who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of multiple felony sex crimes – has been named in a civil action alleging that he sexually assaulted at least five children between the ages of 14 and 17 between 2014 and 2017, during the time Robles was employed at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Riverside County. The complaint also names Corona-Norco Unified School District for failing to protect the plaintiffs and other students as required by law, according to attorneys at Slater Slater Schulman LLP and Paul Mones, P.C.

“The effects of child sexual abuse are severe and long-lasting,” said co-counsel James W. Lewis of Slater Slater Schulman LLP. “The brave young women who are part of this case have each suffered extreme emotional distress as a result of being abused by an adult placed in a position of authority by their school and school district. Joe Robles, Jr. had access to hundreds of children over the course of his ten-year employment. We are working to build a community of survivors who are taking the power back.”

“Schools have a duty to protect the safety and welfare of students,” said co-counsel Paul Mones. “Schools have a responsibility to not just properly and adequately supervise children delivered into their care by their parents, but as well a responsibility to adequately monitor teachers to ensure that they maintain appropriate and professional boundaries with students.”

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