See below: Kevin Biniazin, a lawyer for students sexually abused by coaches, discusses lawsuits against schools for sexual abuse by employees.
A former assistant basketball coach at Dobson High School in Mesa has been charged with failing to report sexual abuse of two minor basketball players by another former coach.
On Anjalih 12, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced that Joshua Bribiescas has been indicted on two felony counts of failure to report. In the February 11 indictment, Bribiescas is accused of having knowledge in 2018 that two underage players from the team were victims of sexual abuse by another ex-coach.
According to the indictment, Bribiescas allegedly knew that between August 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018, fellow junior varsity coach Kyler William Ashley had sexually abused two players on the team.
As a coach for the girls’ junior varsity basketball team, Bribiescas was considered a mandatory reporter of child abuse in Arizona. He allegedly knew that he had a legal duty to immediately report the abuse but failed to do so.
On February 12, 2020, Ashley was convicted of three counts of attempting to commit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
Sex abuse victims lawyer Kevin Biniazin represents victims and their families in civil lawsuit against sexual predators and negligent third parties, including schools that fail to protect their students from sexual abuse. Kevin has offered to add some information on the legal rights of school coach sex abuse victims and their families:
Our nation’s schools have a crisis with the sexual abuse of students by teachers, coaches, and other school employees. School officials must take this crisis seriously and must do everything they can to protect their students from becoming victims. When a school coach is charged with sexually abusing students, it’s important to investigate both the coach and the school itself for possible negligence.
Some cases of sexual abuse by coaches only happen due to third-party negligence. For example, a school could be considered negligent if other staff members were aware that students had been sexually abused but failed to report that information to the authorities. When negligence is discovered, school sex abuse victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit against the school.
If you or your child has been sexually abused by a coach or another school employee, our experienced sex abuse victims lawyers are prepared to help your family find the answers and support you deserve. You can learn more about your legal rights by contacting us for a free consultation.