BRENTWOOD—A former student at Brentwood High School filed a lawsuit against the elite establishment on Monday, August 6 for allowing an inappropriate relationship with former teacher Aimee Palmitessa. The student was 17 at the time of the accusations. It was reported that the teacher subjected the student to repeated sexual acts at several different locations. The student’s identity is not being disclosed due to the age of the victim, but is listed in the suit as John Doe the Los Angeles Times reported.

The lawsuit against the school came after the student sought help from the school counselor and was encouraged to further pursue the relationship. The victim later alerted authorities about the sexual abuse. Palmitessa was charged in 2017 with unlawful intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object. She was held on $230,000 bail after being arrested. According to the criminal complaint, between June 12, 2017 and August 11, 2017 Palmitessa is accused of sexually assaulting the teenage boy.

Allegations were made that Palmitessa groomed the teen before the sexual acts were made. She could face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted. The 45- year-old had a previous run-in with the law during Coachella which resulted in additional drug charges.

Following the arrest, the Head of Brentwood School, Dr. Mike Reira released the following statement on August 20, 2017 saying:

“We were shocked and distressed to receive the news of these allegations. As always, our primary concern is the safety, health, and well-being of our students here at Brentwood School. To that end, we will do everything we can to cooperate with the official police investigation.

We appreciate the importance of transparency and will keep our school community informed to the extent we can given our concern for the student, as well as our respect for privacy laws and the integrity of the LAPD’s investigation. On behalf of our students and their families, we urge media and other observers to avoid posting photos that include Brentwood students who are in no way involved in these allegations. Please afford them the care and protection you would expect for your own children.”

The elite school is priced around $41,000 a year for a student to attend. Alums of the school include celebrities Adam Levin and Jonah Hill.

Palmitessa worked at the elite private school for 9 years, an Upper School (9th thru 12th grade) teacher. She was a biology teacher at the school, and has a Doctorate’s degree in biochemistry and microbiology and taught at Penn State.

Written By Kiley Cuellar and Donald Roberts