Teacher Who Got Pregnant by Her Student Faces New S€xual Abuse Allegations

Laura Whitehurst, a former English teacher who made national headlines in 2013 after giving birth to a child fathered by one of her students, is now facing a new lawsuit from another alleged victim. The latest civil suit accuses Whitehurst of sexually abusing a 16-year-old student in 2007 while she was teaching at Redlands High School in California.

Filed last month and obtained by Mercury News, the lawsuit alleges sexual battery, negligent hiring, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit also names the Redlands Unified School District and former Redlands High School Principal Christina Rivera as defendants.

Whitehurst was previously arrested in 2013 and charged with 41 counts of sexual misconduct, including unlawful sex and oral copulation with a minor. At the time of her arrest, she had recently given birth to a daughter fathered by a student at Citrus Valley High School, where she had also taught. She pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with three former students and served six months in jail. Whitehurst is now a registered sex offender.

According to the new lawsuit, complaints of Whitehurst’s inappropriate conduct with minors were made as early as 2006 but allegedly went ignored until her arrest in 2013. Morgan Stewart, a partner with Manly, Stewart & Finaldi who filed the latest suit, criticized the school district’s history with sexual abuse cases. “There is a good reason why Redlands Unified School District is the national poster child for sexual abuse of students,” Stewart said, noting that over 20 teachers and administrators in the district have faced similar accusations in the past decade. He also stated that two students linked to such cases had died by suicide and the district has spent millions settling related lawsuits.

Previous lawsuits have detailed how Whitehurst engaged in sexual discussions and activities with male students, aged 14 to 18, in her classroom and at her home. The student who fathered her child later sued Whitehurst and the district in 2014, receiving a $6 million settlement. He claimed Whitehurst stalked him, misled him about birth control, and that district officials failed to intervene despite being aware of their relationship. A court-issued no-contact order remains in place between the two.

Another student reached a \$2.25 million settlement with the district in 2023 over similar allegations dating back to Whitehurst’s time at Redlands High. In a 2013 police interview, Whitehurst admitted to having sex with one student 10 to 15 times, both in her classroom and at her apartment. She told investigators the relationship began following a school trip to Disneyland in 2012.

In response to growing scrutiny, the Southern California News Group launched an investigation that reportedly prompted Redlands Unified to implement new policies aimed at better protecting students. In a statement regarding the most recent lawsuit, the district said: “The safety and well-being of every student in Redlands Unified School District is our highest priority. We are aware of the recently filed lawsuit regarding a case from 2013 and take these allegations very seriously. While we cannot comment on pending litigation or the specific claims being made, we remain committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and respectful environment for all students.”