A prestigious Los Angeles private school attended by the children of some of America’s biggest celebrities is facing legal action after a lawsuit alleged that a student-run group sexually abused children as young as seven in school bathrooms — and that staff covered up evidence rather than reporting it to authorities.
The Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, which charges up to $48,600 a year in tuition and counts among its alumni Kendall and Kylie Jenner, LeBron James’s sons Bronny and Bryce, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s daughter Willow, was named as a defendant in a civil complaint filed by the parents of a nine-year-old girl identified only as E.K. in court documents. The case was reviewed by FOX11.
According to the lawsuit, E.K. was seven years old when the abuse began. Older students are alleged to have operated what they called a “kissing club” in school bathrooms, pressuring younger pupils including E.K. into not only kissing other girls but also touching genitals and performing oral sex acts. The lawsuit alleged that the school provided inadequate supervision that allowed the group’s behaviour to escalate over time.
Crucially, the complaint alleged that when staff discovered videos of sexual acts on students’ phones, they chose to conceal what they had seen rather than report it to parents or police — a potential violation of California’s mandatory child abuse reporting laws, which require staff to promptly disclose evidence of abuse. The school could also face criminal charges if law enforcement or child protective services determine that evidence was knowingly withheld.
The lawsuit was filed late last year, but gained renewed attention last week when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected Sierra Canyon’s request to handle the case through private arbitration. Judge David B. Gelfound ruled that the case would proceed to a potential jury trial, citing the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which allows victims of sexual assault to bypass mandatory arbitration clauses and pursue their claims in open court.
Attorney Sam Dordulian, representing E.K.’s parents, told FOX11 that this was the second lawsuit filed against the school making similar allegations. E.K.’s mother Pantea said the school had already been made aware of bullying concerns involving her daughter before she discovered the extent of what had been happening, but that no protective action was taken. Speaking through tears at a press conference shortly after the lawsuit was filed, she said: “As a mother, the feeling of being hopeless and not being able to protect my child from this harm that 100 per cent could have been avoided is crushing. My focus is on the systems and the safeguards that have failed to protect my child.”
Sierra Canyon has denied all wrongdoing, disputing in particular the allegations that it violated mandatory reporting laws or that it allowed systemic failures to develop. In a statement shared with FOX11, the school said: “Please know that protecting our students and ensuring that the truth is upheld remain at the core of our mission. We have never ignored concerns related to student care. When questions were raised in the summer of 2024, we reviewed them comprehensively and immediately took proactive measures we determined were appropriate.” The school acknowledged that the alleged ringleader of the group no longer attends, though she was never formally expelled. The school has yet to file a formal court response.
It is not yet known whether a criminal investigation by local law enforcement or child protective services is underway.
