California to Pay $14 Million to Former Student Abused at Deaf School in Fremont

According to Ring, Rose, who is also deaf, threatened to “bite Doe’s fingers off” if he revealed the abuse to anyone, and at times choked him in his own dorm bed.

In 2011, after over two years of alleged abuse, Doe begged his parents to withdraw him from the school, though he didn’t explain why. It would be another seven years — once Doe turned 18 years old — before he came forward as an adult to report the abuse.

California’s expanded statute of limitations allows victims more time to bring forward abuse claims. After the police investigated Doe’s claims, the California Highway Patrol arrested Rose in the Hayward area on charges of child molestation and criminal threats.

Ring said the $14 million settlement is the largest the state has ever paid to a single survivor of ***ual abuse.

“I know that there are other victims of this perpetrator,” Ring said, emphasizing his concern that Rose is not in custody. “If they haven’t come forward already, I would urge them to do so.”

In a statement, Liz Sanders, director of communications for the California Department of Education, said, “Student safety remains a top priority” for both the department and the state’s special schools, including the CSDF.

“Since learning of these incidents, CSDF has taken additional protective measures for students,” Sanders said.

Increasing residential staffing and providing additional training for residential staff are two of those actions, according to Sanders. She said the school has also “expanded monitoring capabilities” throughout the campus to help “ensure safe, supportive learning environments for current and future students.”

The CSDF did not respond to requests for comment.

Although the experience was deeply traumatizing for Doe, Ring said his client has been in therapy and the litigation did provide a sense of closure.

“It empowered him,” Ring said. “He made a difference, and they acknowledged that he had been seriously harmed. So all things considered, he is in a good spot right now.”