This is an ongoing article and will be updated as complaints are filed or settled.
Downing v. SUHSD
Filed in May 2024 by Sharlett Downing, a former Woodside High School counselor, Downing v. Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) alleges that Downing was wrongfully terminated after being denied accommodations for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The suit was filed against the District and its officials, including the Superintendent Crystal Leach and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Todd Beal, as well as the Board of Trustees and a third-party consulting firm, Shaw HR Consulting.
The lawsuit claims that required disability-related processes were ignored, confidential medical information was mishandled, and Downing was wrongfully removed from her position after requesting accommodations based on disputed claims surrounding her medical fitness and leave status. Downing v. SUHSD includes over 20 claims for relief, including some on grounds of disability discrimination, failure to provide reasonable accommodations, violations of medical privacy, negligence, defamation, and emotional distress. No trial date has been set.
Kasle, et al. v. Van Putten, et al.
Filed in November 2024 by six families of district students, Kasle v. Van Putten alleges that the District tolerated and condoned antisemitism in its schools, citing several instances of antisemitic remarks and encounters occurring on school grounds. Kasle v. Van Putten was filed on behalf of six families, five of which have students who attend Woodside High School and one of which has a student at M-A, by the law firm Ropes and Gray LLP and the Deborah Project. It was filed against District administrators, including Superintendent Crystal Leach and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Todd Beal, as well as principals Karen Van Putten and Karl Losekoot, multiple teachers, and Board of Trustees members such as Carrie Du Bois and Richard Ginn.
The lawsuit includes eight separate claims for relief based mainly in First and Fourteenth Amendment violations, including violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a violation of Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause, and a violation of the First Amendment Freedom of Speech Clause. The case will be tried by a jury, beginning on Aug. 24, 2026.
Chloe Gentile-Montgomery v. SUHSD
Filed on April 30, 2025, Chloe Gentile-Montgomery v. SUHSD alleges several offenses surrounding race and gender-based discrimination were committed against Gentile-Montgomery. The suit cites multiple instances of alleged discrimination. They range from citing teacher comments on a 2023 Padlet training, to the District’s response to the 2023 arrest of an M-A student, to the controversy surrounding a 2023 lesson about the Israel-Palestine conflict. The suit also alleges that the District failed to prevent discrimination, hostility, and harassment against Gentile-Montgomery, while also triggering her Lupus, an autoimmune disease.
Initially, Gentile-Montgomery took a leave of absence because of alleged harassment as a result of her lesson. However, when she returned to M-A in February, she was told she would not return the following year. Gentile-Montgomery claims she has lost wages and benefits because of SUHSD discrimination. The lawsuit includes nine separate claims for relief, all subsections of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, a part of the California Government Code that protects against employment discrimination and harassment. Gentile-Montgomery is being represented by Reed Williams Law and has requested a trial by jury. There is no set date for a possible trial.
Jane Doe v. SUHSD, Arturo Cristerna
Filed on May 3o, 2025, Jane Doe v. SUHSD, Arturo Cristerna alleges Cristerna, an M-A staff member, committed several offenses, including sexual assault, harassment, and grooming. The lawsuit claims that starting when Doe was 15 years old, Cristerna sexually abused Doe on school grounds while working as her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) aide and English teacher. Doe, who was placed in an IEP program at M-A due to her experience with developmental disabilities, was instructed by Cristerna in her ninth, 10th, and 11th grade years. Cristerna is being charged with a felony for Lewd Act Upon a Child and a misdemeanor for Sexual Battery.
The District, Cristerna, and 50 unidentified employees of M-A and the District, who, the lawsuit alleges, knew or should have known about Cristerna’s sexual misconduct, are being accused of varying degrees of assault, failure to report assault, and overall negligence. The lawsuit includes seven separate causes of action: sexual battery/abuse of a minor; intentional infliction of emotional distress; sexual harassment; negligent hiring, supervision, and retention of an unfit employee; breach of mandatory duty; negligent supervision of a minor; and negligence. Doe is represented by Taylor & Ring LLP, and has requested a trial by jury. There is no set date for a possible trial.
Parents Defending Education v. SUHSD
Filed on June 13, 2024, Parents Defending Education (PDE) v. SUHSD calls for a turnover of records related to a 2024 controversy surrounding filmmaker Eli Steele’s documentary Killing America: Can America’s Schools be Saved? and the M-A Chronicle. The suit alleges that under Article 1, Section 3 of the California Constitution and the California Public Records Act, the District is withholding requested records without jurisdiction. Steele’s documentary featured images and short videos created by the M-A Chronicle, leading to the M-A Chronicle sending a cease and desist letter to Steele demanding that he remove the clips. Steele maintains that he was protected by the Fair Use Doctrine, which allows the use of copyrighted material without the permission from the copyright holder under certain circumstances. PDE’s website states that “PDE seeks to uncover the extent to which the M-A Chronicle’s efforts to silence criticism of the District were supported by taxpayer dollars.” There is no trial day set.
Jane Doe v. SUHSD, Thomas Feng
Filed on March 11, 2026, this lawsuit alleges that the District and Academy Volleyball Inc. were negligent in their supervision of former Woodside High School and Academy volleyball coach Thomas Feng. Feng used his position to sexually assault a Woodside student from the time she was 15 years old. The complaint alleges that the District was made aware of Feng’s misconduct, but did not take appropriate action or notify law enforcement.
An official investigation only commenced when Doe filed a police report in June 2025. A warrant was issued for Feng’s arrest in January, and Feng was charged with felony sexual assault of a minor. He posted bail in February. The lawsuit alleges that even with rumors of Feng’s grooming of the student circulating around Woodside’s campus, the school administration and the District did nothing to address the situation. Doe is being represented by Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, LLP.
Filed Claims: These are not official lawsuits yet
Harassment and Failure to Investigate Discrimination:
On March 25, 2025, parents of a child who attended Sequoia High School filed a claim against the District, stating that the District refused to properly investigate a case of discrimination and harassment. They allege that after a districtwide email featured a distorted picture of their student in a swimsuit, their student was sexually harassed to the point of eventually needing to relocate to another state.
The parents are asking for $25,000 in damages as recompense for the District’s refusal to open an investigation into the incident. The claim says the student’s harassment continued throughout the school year, when he was bullied by other students and struggled with a teacher who created a hostile environment. When the parents filed a Title IX complaint due to the districtwide email featuring the distorted pictures, the District did not conduct an official investigation, stating that the incident occurred outside of school hours.
Michael Molieri TORT Claim:
On April 29, 2025, Michael Molieri filed a government TORT claim against SUHSD. Molieri, who was formerly M-A’s basketball coach and a special education teacher, was placed on administrative leave at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year due to allegations of misconduct. Those include: allowing students in his classroom instead of assigned classes, failing to notify the District about IEP changes, and making false statements about students to special education staff and administrators. Molieri has denied all of these allegations.
Molieri claims he was discriminated against because of his Nicaraguan national origin and his age, which is in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Age Discrimination and Employment Act. Molieri says the District’s actions are in violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act, part of California’s labor code. He says the total amount of loss is anticipated to be over $35,000. He is represented by St. Phalle and Silver, PC.
