Roughly one year after hundreds of Westlake High School students protested the prevalence of sexual assaults on campus, two former students and one additional teacher have taken legal action against Conejo Valley Unified School District regarding its alleged mishandling of sexual assault cases.
On June 10, two former Westlake High School students filed separate lawsuits accusing the administration of failing to protect them from sexual assault by another student.
On June 12, a Westlake High School teacher filed a lawsuit accusing the district of retaliating against him after he expressed concerns about its response to students’ reports of sexual assault. He is the second teacher to do so.
All three of the recent lawsuits, filed in Ventura County Superior Court, demand damages and jury trials.
“These young women are bringing lawsuits to demand accountability and to help make sure the next student who reports abuse is believed, supported and protected,” the students’ attorney, Christa Ramey, wrote in an emailed statement. “Schools do not get to treat sexual assault reports as optional simply because the truth is difficult, uncomfortable or inconvenient.”
In emails to The Star, CVUSD spokesperson Kimberly Gold wrote that the district is not able to discuss ongoing litigation.
“We recognize that lawsuits involving students and teachers can generate significant public interest,” she wrote. “However, for a school district and confidential student and personnel matters, the appropriate forum is the legal process, where the facts and evidence can be fully disclosed.”
Jane Roe’s allegations
The students’ lawsuits, both filed anonymously, accuse a former Westlake High School student of sexual harassment and sexual battery and accuse Conejo Unified and Westlake High School Principal Jason Branham of negligence and breach of a mandatory duty.
The defendant in the lawsuit, who The Star is not identifying because he has not been criminally charged, does not yet have an attorney and could not be reached.
One of the two plaintiffs, referred to as Jane Roe, alleges that on Jan. 5, 2023, when she was a sophomore at Westlake High School, a male student raped her in the unlocked, unsupervised teachers’ lounge on campus, according to her lawsuit.
In October 2024, when she was a senior, she reported the rape to teacher Lauren Zasadil.
Zasadil sued the school district for whistleblower retaliation last April, alleging that she was placed on leave after raising concerns about how the administration handled students’ reports of sexual assault.
Roe contends that after Zasadil notified the principal, her parents still had to advocate for an investigation under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at government-funded educational programs.
When the process began, the district appointed Branham as the investigator, though the lawsuit alleges that a neutral third party should have been appointed instead.
Roe found the investigation adversarial and retraumatizing. She felt the district treated her trauma responses, such as her delayed disclosure of the assault and her fragmented memory, as evidence undermining her credibility, according to the document.
“When I eventually came forward to the people I thought I could trust, they failed me in such a devastating way,” Roe told The Star in an email. “Not only did they fail me, but they failed every single girl who was also hurt or who could have been hurt.”
In March 2025, administration informed Roe that the evidence standard to establish sexual assault under Title IX was not met, according to the lawsuit.
The document states that the school denied her two requests for emergency removal of the male student, despite written accounts from several other female students who allege he also harassed them.
Jane Doe’s allegations
The other plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, alleges that between October 2023 and January 2024, when she was a freshman at Westlake High School, the same male student raped her multiple times in parking lots near campus, according to her lawsuit.
In December 2023, Doe reported the assaults to the then-assistant principal, who notified Branham. At that time, the document asserts, the district was already aware of Roe’s complaints against the same male student.
Branham encouraged Doe to speak to a school resource officer, which she did.
She felt Branham and the officer were dismissive and apathetic, and as a result, she decided not to pursue criminal charges against the student, according to the lawsuit.
“After months of struggling to find the courage to speak up, I reported the situation to the adults who were supposed to protect me, and all they did was make what I endured more traumatic,” Doe told The Star in an email. “Rather than standing by me, they made me feel isolated, powerless and at fault.”
The lawsuit states that, contrary to CVUSD policy, Branham notified Doe that because she chose not to pursue criminal charges, the district would not continue investigating her claims.
Doe alleges that after she decided not to press charges, the administration did not inform her of her rights to file a formal complaint under the federal Title IX process or under the state Uniform Complaint Procedure process and did not offer her further supportive measures.
According to a Q&A document Conejo Unified sent families and media in May 2025, when staff learns of assault allegations, they are required to inform students of the two options for filing formal complaints with the district. They are also required to offer supportive measures, such as counseling, schedule changes or no contact contracts, to students, even those who choose not to file a formal complaint.
The administration, Doe alleges, also refused to remove the male student from her class, causing her severe anxiety, the lawsuit states. Feeling unsafe, she ultimately transferred to a private school.
Students assert district failed them
The lawsuits assert that under California law, Conejo Valley Unified School District had a duty to provide the students with a safe learning environment and protect them from foreseeable harm, including the sexual assaults they experienced.
When Branham learned of the students’ allegations, he had a duty to intervene, investigate and report all claims of assault. Instead, administration breached their duties by failing to supervise students, respond to warning signs and take reasonable measures to prevent harm, the documents state.
“Defendants’ actions and omissions communicated to students that reports of sexual assault would not be fairly investigated and that perpetrators of sexual misconduct would face little or no meaningful accountability, thereby discouraging the future reporting and allowing sexual harassment to continue unchecked on campus,” one of the documents reads.
The two students told The Star that by taking legal action they hope to hold the district accountable and help administrators understand how appalling their behavior was. They also hope to ensure that future Westlake High School students feel safe at the school they love and other survivors of sexual assault feel powerful rather than alone.
The first hearings are set for Oct. 13 and 15.
Second teacher alleges whistleblower retaliation
Like Zasadil’s lawsuit, Westlake High School teacher James Wyllie’s lawsuit accuses the district of whistleblower retaliation, political speech retaliation and retaliation in violation of California Education Code.
His lawsuit states that while supporting an unidentified student who had filed a Title IX complaint, Wyllie spoke at a March 20, 2025 town hall about the need for open dialogue among students experiencing sexual assault and the teachers and administrators supporting them.
Wyllie’s attorney, Martin Aarons, said that his client wanted to be part of a solution.
“That didn’t happen. The school was more interested in quieting those raising the alarm than working with teachers like Lauren and Jimmy,” said Aarons, who also represents Zasadil.
Wyllie spoke at a May 7, 2025 board of education meeting, explaining that when he had expressed concern about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus, his colleagues warned him to remain silent out of concern for professional retaliation. He told the audience that the fear among staff was problematic.
Roughly two weeks later, administrators notified Wyllie that they were investigating him due to allegations of misconduct, according to the lawsuit.
In August, the lawsuit states, the district concluded that Wyllie violated district policy on professional standards, maintaining appropriate adult-student interactions and suicide prevention. The district issued him a letter of discipline and removed him as the teacher adviser for the junior class student government and for a student advocacy group formed to address sexual assault on campus.
The lawsuit asserts that California law prohibits employers from taking retaliatory actions against employees — especially those who are supporting students in the exercise of their rights — and both encourages and requires teachers to speak out to ensure students have access to a safe learning environment.
Aarons said that when an employer engages in retaliatory behavior, it is typically not isolated but rather a concerning pattern.
“I want those young girls to be able to have their day and those voices to be heard, and I think that’s what Lauren and Jimmy wanted: to be the adults to speak out and support students now and in the future,” he said. “Frankly, CVUSD is fortunate to have teachers willing to do so.”
Westlake High makes headlines
CVUSD’s alleged mishandling of sexual assault cases gained attention April 16, 2025, when six Westlake High School students as well as Zasadil spoke at a district board meeting about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus and the lack of consequences for perpetrators.
District administrators previously said they had received three formal complaints of sexual assault or harassment at Westlake High School during the 2024-2025 academic year, with only one filed under Title IX.
On May 2, 2025, hundreds of Westlake High School students participated in a walkout and a few dozen protested outside of campus for several hours later.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Former Westlake High students, teacher sue Conejo Unified
Reporting by Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Makena Huey, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
