The Los Angeles school district was wrong when it argued that a 14-year-old girl shared responsibility for sexual abuse by a teacher because she consented to the sex, a California appeals court said last week, overturning a jury verdict in favor of the district.
Lawyers and advocates for sexual-abuse victims had said the legal tactic the district used was surprising.
As a minor, the girl was a crime victim even if she agreed to the sex, and crime victims cannot be held responsible for the harm they suffer, the court ruled.
