California schools pay out $139M to settle all outgoing molestation claims over teacher who blindfolded students and spoon-fed them cookies laced with his semen

• e-mail

Vile crimes: The $139million settlement puts a legal end to the saga that began when Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, 63, was arrested in 2012 and accused of blindfolding students and spoon-feeding them his semen

The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to pay unprecedented $139million to end all remaining litigation involving an elementary school teacher who served students cookies laced with his bodily fluids in a sickening tasting game.

The deal involving 81 students puts a legal end to the saga that began when Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt, 63, was arrested in 2012 and accused of blindfolding students and spoon-feeding them his semen spread over baked goods.

Plaintiff's lawyers had planned to present evidence suggesting the school district was aware of sexual misconduct by Berndt three decades ago but failed to act until a photo processor at a pharmacy contacted police about film Berndt dropped off that showed pictures of blindfolded children being fed some substance.

The 19-year-old woman had only been on the job a month.

'She was told not to call the police by her supervisors and she did it, anyway,' John Manley, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit, said at a news conference. 'If she hadn't made that call, we wouldn't be here today and he'd still be teaching.'

Some of the images that raised a red flag for the pharmacy staffer depicted a spoon filled with a milky liquid, seen in around the mouths of children.

A detective would later find a plastic spoon matching the one in the pictures in Berndt's classroom trash bin.

The utensil tested positive for semen that matched the teacher's DNA.

Investigators later found he took bondage-style photographs of his young students, some with semen-laced cookies held to their blindfolded faces or cockroaches crawling on them.

The case led to an overhaul of how the nation's second-largest school district handles allegations of sexual abuse. 

After Berndt's arrest, the district removed all 130 staff members from the school and placed them at an unopened empty campus during the lengthy investigation.

Creepy: A photo processor at a pharmacy contacted police about film Berndt, pictured left and right dressed in Mickey Mouse ears, dropped off that showed pictures of blindfolded children being fed some substance

More red flags: Two Miramonte teachers reported back in the 1980s that Berndt was exposing himself to students, but the teacher was allowed to continue working with kids 

Justice served: Mark Berndt was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading no contest to 23 counts of lewd conduct

'Our goal from the outset of these appalling revelations has been to spare the Miramonte community the anguish of a protracted trial, while at the same time being mindful of the financial consequences stemming from settlements,' school district Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said in a statement. 'Given these circumstances, we believe we struck a balance between those objectives.'

Berndt was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading no contest to 23 counts of lewd conduct.

The settlement reached during jury selection is in addition to $30million the district previously agreed to pay to settle 65 other cases involving Berndt.

Lawyers in the current case said it's believed to be the largest sex-abuse case settlement involving a school district.

'They were afraid of a blow-the-roof-off verdict to reach this kind of settlement,' said Mary Jo McGrath, a lawyer not involved in the case who trains school administrators around the country. 'The hope of this is that it hurts really bad for the school district and wakes people up.'

Plaintiffs' lawyers said they uncovered evidence that LAUSD had destroyed potentially thousands of child abuse reports and logs that had been maintained for decades.

Manley said that in the 1980s, two Miramonte teachers reported that Berndt was exposing himself to students. In one instance, he allegedly dropped his pants while on a field trip to a museum.

Under suspicion: Several fourth-grade girls had complained in the early 1990s that Berndt was masturbating in class, but the allegations were dismissed 

Cleaning house: After Berndt's arrest, the Los Angeles Unified School District removed all 130 staff members from Miramonte Elementary School

According to the Los Angeles Times, Berndt allegedly wrote a note to the school principal following the incident which read: 'Thanks again for the support you gave me. I did learn at least one thing for sure! Not to take students to the museum while wearing baggy shorts!' 

Several fourth-grade girls had complained in the early 1990s that Berndt was masturbating in class, but the allegations were dismissed and the girls were accused of lying.

Around that period, a teacher observing Berndt's class reported to a principal that he was wearing loose-fitting shorts that exposed his genitals. The principal later denied receiving such a report and called the teacher a liar.

The Sheriff's Department investigated Berndt in 1994 but no charges were filed for lack of evidence. 

A judge will determine how to distribute the settlement money among the families of the roughly 80 children involved in the latest agreement, based on such factors as how badly they were emotionally scarred and what kind of therapy they will need, attorneys for the district said.