Former Joaquin Moraga physical education teacher Julie Correa pleaded guilty to rape and sexual battery of Cunnane, who turned to science teacher, Daniel Witters, to report the abuse, but he also molested her. Witters later committed suicide after the allegations against him surfaced, reports ContraCostaTimes.com.
Cunnane has now filed a lawsuit against the school district, retired Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School principal Bill Walters, retired assistant principal Paul Simonin and retired superintendent John Cooley, claiming they repeatedly ignored allegations of abuse, allowing her and other students to be victimized.
In response, the Moraga School District claims Cunnane that was "careless and negligent" and contributed to her ongoing sexual abuse at the hands of the teachers. They also claim that Cunnane was "careless and negligent" in the matter of her own rape.
Cunnane told ContraCostaTimes.com:"It felt like I got punched in the stomach, and I stood up and thought about how young I was when I was 12 to 13 years old at the school. For them to use words like 'negligent' and 'responsible' just broke my heart."
The school district released a statement claiming "this is a significant case that could have serious consequences for our school district. . . . As a result, at this point in the proceedings we have an obligation not to waive any potential legal lines of defense."
I left just before the Black Panthers became active and anti-war protests became commonplace at UC Berkeley. Of course, the whole "hippie" thing was centered across the bay in San Francisco, Marin, and also down the coast towards Carmel and Big Sur. And right in the center: Stanford Research Institute!
UC Berkeley is also known for its nuclear physics work which is tied to the Lawrence Lab in Livermore. The inventor of the cyclotron was ardently pro-war.
So why would a whole geographical region let itself be taken over by LSD users, war protesters, and free love? To hide what was really going on, and give the guys behind it an excuse to indulge in excesses?
This story seems similar to the Portland story. The people who have quietly maintained their positions in government, public schools, etc., have gotten more and more corrupt, without anyone really moving in to challenge them. And now we come to this.
Who knows how to handle situations like this so they don't end up destroying lives? I think a part of the problem is that too many people are playing stupid.