Teen molested by Catholic school teacher gets $8M settlement

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay an $8 million settlement to a teenager who was sexually abused by the athletic director at her Catholic high school.

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that the award is the highest individual settlement by the LA archdiocese in a sex abuse case.

Court documents show Juan Barajas repeatedly abused a 15-year-old girl. He took her to Las Vegas in 2016 after his wife discovered evidence of the molestation on his cellphone.

After five days on the run, authorities rescued the girl and arrested Barajas, a health teacher and athletic director at San Gabriel Mission High.

He pleaded guilty to felony statutory sexual seduction and was sentenced to prison.

The archdiocese did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/