Four former Dos Pueblos High School student athletes have filed a civil complaint against the Santa Barbara Unified School District, alleging that the district’s negligence enabled sexual assault, molestation and harassment of students by a former coach and security guard. 

The four plaintiffs were students at Dos Pueblos around the years of 2007-11 and were all alleged victims of sexual assault and abuse by Justin Sell, their football coach and security guard.

Sell is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit and was a SBUSD employee from 2005-11. In 2014, he was sentenced to one year in jail and was required to register as a sex offender for stalking and sexual offenses involving a minor. 

“To find out that administrators and principals were enabling and protecting a child molester, it’s shocking,” said Michael Carney, an attorney with Slater Slater Schulman LLP who is representing the former students.

“These are the sorts of things that you assume only happened many decades ago. Well, that’s just not true. It happened very recently, and it continues to happen, and until we see this sort of change come to where children can truly be safe at schools, we’re going to keep on pushing to make sure that their voices are heard.”

Last year, a jury found SBUSD 80% at fault for the sexual abuse of another student that took place from 2008-11. The district was ordered to pay $25 million to the victim. 

The recently filed civil complaint states that in the 2006-07 school year, district personnel met with Sell because he was repeatedly having lunch with freshman students and neglecting his employment duties. The principal met with Sell multiple times about his behavior toward students, but the district failed to document the misconduct, meetings and warnings to Sell, according to the complaint. 

Additionally, in 2007-08, when Sell reportedly punched a student in the face, the district did not report the incident to law enforcement, despite it being witnessed by multiple school employees. 

The complaint alleges that in 2009, Sell was promoted to a permanent employee as a campus safety assistant despite the fact that he was confronted by multiple employees — including the head football coach and assistant principal — about him spending an inappropriate amount of time with minor male students.

In December 2009, during an employee evaluation, the head football coach advised Sell to “keep boundaries” with student athletes. Sell was specifically told not to give students rides and not to develop close relationships with them. 

That came after the head football coach witnessed Sell driving a student to and from school, which is a violation of school policy. The coach allegedly reported this behavior to the school’s athletic director and principal at least three times, according to the complaint. 

SBUSD spokesman Ed Zuchelli said the district received the complaint and is reviewing the details. 

“The school district is devastated any time a student finds themselves in a vulnerable position in a school environment where children should feel safe,” Zuchelli said. “The district has strict standards of professional and employee supervision, and has several methods of reporting inappropriate behavior. Any allegation of misconduct will be thoroughly and swiftly investigated.”

A civil complaint represents only the plaintiff’s side of the story, and defendants will likely file documents responding to the allegations in the coming weeks.

The complaint also outlines several personal incidents between Sell and the four former students.

Carney said his clients came forward because now that they’re adults, they felt it was the right time to confront their past and hold those responsible for the abuse they endured.

“These are folks who have finally decided that they feel like the time is right, that they feel like they’re strong enough now to actually confront these horrible memories of what happened to them,” Carney said. 

The civil complaint alleges that one of the plaintiffs, identified as John Doe R.M. in the civil complaint, was groomed and sexually assaulted by Sell at Dos Pueblos and other locations. 

The civil complaint states that Sell repeatedly asked John Doe R.M. inappropriate questions and made suggestive comments. In one incident, Sell allegedly told John Doe R.M. that he was considering going into sports medicine and needed to “get experience” with male genitalia and forced himself on John Doe R.M.

Another plaintiff, identified as John Doe B.J., alleged that Sell would watch him and other teammates showering. That happened so often that the teammates eventually wore swim trunks while showering, the complaint alleges.

John Doe B.J. also alleged that Sell would make inappropriate physical contact with him in the gym such as striking his genitals. 

A third plaintiff identified as John Doe H.H. alleged that Sell would take him off campus for lunch, directed him to visit a sexually inappropriate website, watched him and other teammates showering, and would make inappropriate physical advances in front of other teammates and coaching staff. 

Plaintiff John Doe D.L. alleged that one day after practice he found a lock on his locker, which had never happened before. He told Sell about the problem, but Sell waited until other students left the locker room. Once everyone was gone, Sell reportedly exposed his penis to John Doe D.L. and forced him to perform sexual acts. 

Carney said the plaintiffs hope the case brings meaningful change to the district and ensure something like it doesn’t happen again. He said the next step will be to exchange information with the district and try to reach a settlement deal for the plaintiffs. If a deal is not made, then the case could go to trial. 

Because it’s a civil lawsuit, Carney said it would be up to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the claims and potentially prosecute Sell. 

“If our clients are willing to help out law enforcement, we are willing, because we just want to see justice done, whatever that may be, against the district and against the perpetrator,” Carney said.