The Los Angeles Unified School District will pay another $3.55 million to two additional victims of former teacher and convicted pedophile Mark Berndt, a firm representing the victims said Tuesday.
The two unidentified victims agreed to settlements of $1.85 million and $1.7 million in cases against the LAUSD in connection with Berndt’s abuse.
“This settlement represents one more chapter in a horrendous scandal. Ten years after the largest sexual abuse settlement against a public school district, it is a continuing reminder of the damage that results when school officials choose to ignore red flags and complaints by students and parents of a serial sexual predator,” attorney Morgan Stewart said.
Berndt, who taught at Miramonte Elementary School, pleaded no contest to 23 charges of lewd conduct upon a child and was sentenced to 25 years in prison back in 2013.
Ex-Miramonte Teacher Accused of Lewd Acts Pleads No Contest
He was arrested in January 2012 after submitting objectionable photos to a drugstore for development. An employee notified authorities that the images showed children blindfolded, some with tape over their mouths.