A disturbing lawsuit accusing California’s prestigious Sierra Canyon School of ignoring a student-run “kissing club” involving alleged of children as young as seven will now move forward publicly after a judge denied the schools request to handle the case behind closed doors.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David B. Gelfound ruled Thursday that Sierra Canyon School could not move the lawsuit into private proceedings, allowing the case to continue publicly toward a possible jury trial, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The lawsuit was filed by the parents of a now-nine-year-old girl identified as E.K., who was allegedly just seven years old when the abuse began.
The family alleges older female students operated a “kissing club” inside school bathrooms where younger children were pressured and coerced into sexual acts, including kissing, genital touching and oral copulation, according to reviewed by FOX 11.
The lawsuit claims the behavior escalated because of inadequate supervision by teachers and administrators at the prestigious Chatsworth campus, which has educated celebrity children including Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Bronny and Bryce James, Willow Smith and other high-profile students.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, E.K.s mother, Pantea, emotionally described the toll the alleged abuse has taken on her family, saying she felt helpless watching her daughter suffer harm she believes could have been prevented had stronger protections been in place at the school.
“As a mother, the feeling of being hopeless and not being able to protect my child from this harm that 100% could have been avoided is crushing,” she said. “My focus is on the systems and the safeguards that have failed to protect my child.”
The lawsuit also alleges school officials later discovered videos of the incidents on students cellphones but failed to promptly notify law enforcement or families, potentially violating mandatory child abuse reporting laws.
Judge Gelfound referenced the severity of the allegations in his written ruling.
“Here, (the parents) allege that E.K. was repeatedly harassed and bullied by older students during school hours, including forcing her to kiss older girls and touch their genital area,” the judge reportedly wrote.
“(The parents) further allege that the activity was allowed to continue because of the lack of adequate supervision by teachers, administrators and other agents, and that when Sierra Canyon became aware of the bullying and assault, it took no action.”
Attorney Sam Dordulian, who represents the family, told FOX 11 this is the second lawsuit filed against Sierra Canyon involving similar allegations.
Sierra Canyon has denied the allegations and says school officials took concerns about student welfare seriously once they were raised in 2024, maintaining that administrators conducted a thorough review and implemented what they believed were appropriate corrective measures.
“Please know that protecting our students and ensuring that the truth is upheld remain at the core of our mission,” the school said in a statement to Fox 11. “We have never ignored concerns related to student care.”
The school added that the allegations are “untrue and do not accurately reflect what occurred,” and continues to dispute the familys claims, arguing
