Sexual Abuse at Lake Forest High School

Goldberg & Goldberg has filed multiple law suits on behalf of seven (7) victims of sexual abuse in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois accusing LAKE FOREST COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 115 and LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL of allowing serial sexual predator David Miller, a former teacher and director of Lake Forest High School’s much lauded Telecom program to groom and sexually abuse male students under his supervision over a 30 year period. Separately, teacher and softball coach Cindy Miller also groomed and sexually abused a student athlete she plied with drugs and alcohol during the same time period. It is believed that LAKE FOREST COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 115 and LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL elected to cover up the abuse rather than face the consequences of the devastation caused by its teachers and staff.

David Miller was initially hired as a Spanish teacher and eventually developed the Telecom Media Arts program that allowed students to produce professional grade audio and video projects at the high school. At the same time Miller began grooming and sexually abusing his students, including travelling with them to Mexico on school trips where he abused his students. The school administration allegedly became aware of Miller’s behavior beginning in the early 1980s and likely much earlier and actively concealed Miller’s abuse because of the school’s desire to maintain the prestige associated with his award-winning program. Despite his serial abuse, the School district honored Miller with a fete in 2017 that had to be held off campus because a restraining order prohibited Miller from returning to the high school campus. Miller was also honored as a school hall of famer and had the school theater named in his honor all while the administration was concealing serial accusations of sexual abuse.

Cynthia Martin was a driver’s education teacher and coach at Lake Forest High School in the 1980s. She groomed and sexually abused a student athlete whom she coached, plying her with drugs and alcohol. Martin’s conduct was well known to her colleague teachers and the administration who looked the other way and quietly arranged for Martin’s departure rather than report her to the authorities as required by law.

The victims of Miller & Martin’s abuse asked the LAKE FOREST COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 115 and LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL to hold itself accountable and independently investigate these unrefuted allegations of sexual abuse. Rather than honor those students whose lives have been ruined by a culture of sexual abuse and secrecy, the school chose to engage in a sham investigation authored by an alleged independent attorney named Rebecca Veidlinger. Her report is available on the district’s website. The students have asked Veidlinger for access to all of her investigative materials and the Board of Education has refused to provide the same, choosing to hide behind the attorney-client relationship.

Goldberg & Goldberg is a Chicago law firm that concentrates its practice in representing the victims of Sexual Abuse, Medical Malpractice and other complex personal injury litigation. To date, Goldberg & Goldberg has obtained in excess of 150 separate verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million with an aggregate recovery in excess of $1 billion. Ian Alexander has represented victims of sexual abuse for more than 25 years, including multiple victims of sexual predator R. Kelly. His work on behalf of the victims of sexual abuse has been featured in the New York Times, The New Yorker and in the Documentary “Surviving R. Kelly Part 2: The Reckoning” In regards to these brave seven victims, Ian Alexander said, “All that our clients have asked for is that the administration at Lake Forest High School be 100% transparent about the abuse that occurred for more than 30 years at LFHS and take responsibility for it. There is no denying what happened and that the school knew about it many years ago. Rather than be truthful and allow Miller & Martin’s victims to heal, LFHS has chosen to perpetuate the culture of lies that continue to revictimize those that have suffered at the hands of these monsters.”

If you or a loved one is the victim of a sexual predator, do not hesitate to call our office for a free consultation.