Childhood Sexual Assault Lawsuit Filed Against Capital Christian School

Greenberg Gross filed a childhood sexual assault lawsuit against Capital Christian School (CCS), Capital Christian Center (CC Center), and former teacher and football coach, David Arnold. The lawsuit alleges that from 1980 to 1983, Arnold committed repeated sexual assaults against five underage male students. At the time, Arnold was a teacher, yearbook advisor, newspaper advisor, and football coach at the school.

The lawsuit further alleges that Pastor Glen Cole and other senior school officials had knowledge of the sexual assaults. However, they chose to respond with a cover up.

“Nobody is going to bring down my school.  Not Arnold, not those boys, not anyone,” Pastor Cole reportedly told Vice Principal Susan Catlett in or around 1983. This statement exemplifies CCS’s decades-long campaign to cover up systemic sexual abuse of minors that permeated the campus throughout the 1980s. Despite being directly informed of Arnold’s sexual abuse, law enforcement was not contacted and Arnold was allowed to quietly resign. Church leadership sought to protect the reputation of the school, and in doing so, protected a sexual predator.

Plaintiffs and witnesses report that Arnold groomed boys by lavishing attention on them and later inviting them to his apartment, ostensibly to help grade papers. Lured with a false sense of security by a mentor they trusted, the students were then paid extra if they would allow Arnold to hog-tie them, often with blindfolds. Arnold would then masturbate, obtaining sexual gratification as he watched the young men struggle to escape the bondage.

The CCS community was well aware that Arnold was maintaining unhealthy relationships with the Plaintiffs. It was no secret that Arnold was sexually grooming his favorite students in plain view of CCS’s administration, faculty, and staff. The Plaintiffs were even commonly referred to as Arnold’s “slaves” or “pets” by others.

The plaintiffs, David “Scott” Sorgea, Darren Sorgea, Dan Schumacher, Robbe Taylor, and Kevin Williams are suing CCS, CC Center, and David Arnold, now a resident of Oklahoma. They are suing under a California law that allows victims of childhood sexual assault to take legal action against their perpetrator, or a person or entity who owed them a duty of care, regardless of when the actual assault occurred. Any lawsuit must be filed by December 31, 2022.

Read the full complaint

Linked and Related News Coverage:  

• ‘It was shocking’: Pastor of Capital Christian Center responds to accusations against former teacher
  May 5, 2022 | Fox40 Sacramento
• Complaint alleges abuse, cover-up at Capital Christian School
  May 4, 2022 | Fox40 Sacramento
• ‘Shame on these adults.’ Brothers say former Capital Christian staff covered up sex abuse
  May 4, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee
• 40 years later, five Capital Christian students say teacher tied them up, abused them
  May 4, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee
• California law allows for victims of childhood sexual assault to sue decades later
  May 4, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Greenberg Gross Contacts

Brian Williams: 949.383.2780
Daniel S. Cha: 949.383.2795