A ritzy private school attended by the children of major celebrities is being sued for allegedly allowing a student-run 'kissing club' to operate and failing to report sexual abuse that resulted.
The Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, a suburb of Los Angeles, was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the parents of a nine-year-old girl who went to the school. She was identified as E.K. in court documents.
The civil complaint, which was reviewed by FOX11, said that E.K. was just seven years old when the abuse began. Older students allegedly ran the 'kissing club' in school bathrooms and bullied the little girl into joining.
She and other students were pressured into not only kissing other girls but also touching their genitals and performing oral copulation, according to the lawsuit.
Sierra Canyon is a pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade private school where tuition costs as much as $48,600 per year in the upper grades, and $41,800 per year in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Attendees have included Kendall and Kylie Jenner, the sons of LeBron James, Bronny and Bryce James, and the daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith.
Although the lawsuit stated that the girls who ran the 'kissing club' were older, it did not specify their ages or what grade they were in. Sierra Canyon is split up into a lower campus for pre-K through sixth grade and an upper campus for grades seven through 12.
The lawsuit was filed late last year, but last week, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied the prestigious school's request to handle the case privately, ruling that it would continue to a potential trial by jury.
The prestigious Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles is being sued for allegedly allowing a student-run 'kissing club' to flourish on campus and failing to report sexual abuse that resulted
The lawsuit was filed by the mother of a former student at Sierra Canyon referred to as E.K. in court documents. The mother, Pantea, said the abuse began when her daughter was just seven
Kendall and Kylie Jenner of the Kardashian-Jenner family attended Sierra Canyon. North West (left), Kim (second right) and Khloe Kardashian (right) are pictured at a Sierra Canyon basketball game in 2022. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing among those pictured
Judge David B Gelfound cited the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which allows victims of sexual assault to bypass mandatory arbitration and have their cases take place in public court.
The parents of E.K. allege that Sierra Canyon had inadequate supervision of students, which allowed behavior in the 'kissing club' to escalate into serious sexual acts.
Their lawsuit also alleges that after staff at the school discovered evidence of the disturbing behavior, they violated California mandatory child abuse reporting laws by failing to promptly report the sexual activity to parents or police.
Students had videos of sexual acts performed among themselves on their phones, which staff at the school saw and chose to cover up, the lawsuit claimed.
Sierra Canyon has vehemently denied wrongdoing, particularly disputing the allegations that it violated child abuse reporting laws and engaged in systemic failures that allowed the club to flourish.
The mother of E.K. said she had previously reported bullying to the school before she learned about the 'kissing club,' but no protective measures were taken.
Sam Dordulian, an attorney representing the little girl's parents, told FOX11 that this is the second lawsuit filed against the private school accusing it of similar misconduct.
Sierra Canyon has said that the former ringleader of the 'kissing club' no longer attends the school, though she was never formally expelled.
Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are pictured speaking at a Sierra Canyon basketball game in 2022. James's sons, Bryce and Bronny, both attended the school. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing among those pictured
The families of E.K. and another victim have pulled their children from Sierra Canyon.
The private school has yet to file a response in court, but it shared a statement with FOX11 that said: 'Please know that protecting our students and ensuring that the truth is upheld remain at the core of our mission.
'We have never ignored concerns related to student care. When questions were raised in the summer of 2024, we reviewed them comprehensively and immediately took proactive measures we determined were appropriate.'
Sierra Canyon could also face criminal charges if a potential investigation by local law enforcement and child protective services determines that there is evidence the school failed to report videos of sexual activity among minors. It is unclear if such an investigation is underway or planned.
Soon after the lawsuit was filed, E.K.'s mother, Pantea, read a statement to reporters through tears and said: 'As a mother, the feeling of being hopeless and not being able to protect my child from this harm that 100% could have been avoided is crushing.
'My focus is on the systems and the safeguards that have failed to protect my child.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Sierra Canyon for comment.