In November 2022, a landmark announcement shook the world of elite private education. Jennifer Christensen Vurno, a graduate of The Thacher School in Ojai, California, stood alongside her legal team to announce a civil lawsuit against the prestigious boarding school. The filing alleged that during her senior year in 1996, Vurno was repeatedly abused by her teacher, soccer coach, and college advisor, John Freiberg.
While historical claims of misconduct in private academies were not unheard of, Vurno’s lawsuit represented a profound shift. It was not merely an accusation against an individual predator, but a direct challenge to the systemic silence, administrative protection, and institutional cover-ups that allowed abuse to occur unchecked for decades.
Looking back at the Thacher School sexual abuse lawsuit, the case stands out as a watershed moment in institutional accountability. It illuminated how institutional power dynamics operate, demonstrated the courage required to waive anonymity, and highlighted the critical role of legislative reform in giving survivors a path to justice.
The civil complaint filed in Ventura County Superior Court detailed egregious acts of sexual misconduct perpetrated against Vurno when she was a 17-year-old student. As a varsity soccer player, Vurno had built an immense level of trust with Freiberg, an established figure on campus who groomed students under the guise of mentorship. When Vurno turned to him for guidance during a period of personal difficulty, he weaponized her vulnerability and trust to commit acts of sexual violence.
For years following the abuse, the trauma was compounded by the school’s response. In 1997, after complaints from multiple other student survivors surfaced, Thacher administrators allowed Freiberg to quietly resign. Rather than conducting a formal investigation or reporting the conduct to law enforcement, the school allowed him to leave without public disclosure or personal consequences. This silent exit allowed the institution to shield its reputation while leaving its young victims to carry the burden of trauma alone.
In civil litigation involving sexual trauma, more than 90 percent of plaintiffs choose to proceed under pseudonyms—such as “Jane Doe”—to protect their privacy and shield themselves from public scrutiny. Jennifer Vurno chose a different path. She deliberately stepped forward using her real name, a decision that transformed the trajectory of the case and sent shockwaves through the Thacher community.
Vurno explained that remaining anonymous kept her experience trapped in the shadows, leaving control over her story in the hands of the very institution that had failed to protect her. By attaching her name to the lawsuit, she rejected the shame and secrecy that typically surround survivors of child sexual abuse.
Her decision was an act of reclamation. She publicly affirmed that the abuse was not her fault, but rather the responsibility of a 40-year-old adult predator and the institution that enabled him. In doing so, Vurno provided a vital voice for fellow survivors who were still too fearful or burdened by shame to come forward publicly.
Navigating a lawsuit against a wealthy, historic institution such as the Thacher School requires specialized legal expertise and unwavering advocacy. Vurno was represented by lead attorney Paul Mones of Paul Mones PC, alongside co-counsel Courtney Kiehl.
Mones, a nationally recognized attorney specializing in institutional sexual abuse cases, brought decades of experience confronting private boarding schools, youth organizations, and religious institutions across the United States. His team recognized that the lawsuit against Thacher was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader, systemic pattern of institutional failure.
Through meticulous legal analysis, Mones and Kiehl connected Vurno’s personal account to findings from an independent investigation conducted by the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson in June 2021. The firm’s representation ensured that the lawsuit focused on broader institutional culpability—examining not just the actions of the perpetrator, but the systemic choices made by school leaders over multiple decades.
One of the most alarming revelations in the Thacher School sexual abuse lawsuit was that school leadership had explicit warning about John Freiberg’s history before he was ever hired.
Prior to joining Thacher in 1987, Freiberg had been employed as a teacher and coach at The Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts. While there, he was forced to leave the school after being caught in an inappropriate relationship with a senior student on the girls’ soccer team. The administrator who discovered that misconduct was Michael Mulligan, who later became the Head of School at Thacher.
Despite knowing that Freiberg had been ousted from his previous position for boundary violations with a student athlete, Thacher administrators—including Headmaster Bill Wyman and Mulligan—supported hiring him as a coach, advisor, and fundraiser. In later interviews, Mulligan admitted he supported Freiberg’s appointment because he believed it was “inconceivable” that Freiberg would repeat the same mistake.
This misplaced optimism proved catastrophic. By prioritizing a peer’s second chance over child safety, Thacher’s leadership introduced a known predator into a boarding environment where he had unchecked access to vulnerable teenagers.
Vurno’s lawsuit against The Thacher School would not have been legally possible without crucial statutory reforms in California. For decades, strict statutes of limitations barred adult survivors from bringing civil claims against institutions if many years had passed since the original abuse.
That paradigm changed with the enactment of California Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218). This landmark legislation significantly expanded survivors’ rights by:
AB 218 shifted the legal landscape across California. It removed the legal shield that permitted negligent schools, youth organizations, and churches to escape accountability simply by waiting out the clock. For Jennifer Vurno and countless others, AB 218 provided the statutory key needed to force historically unaccountable institutions into a court of law.
Years after its initial filing, the Thacher School sexual abuse lawsuit remains a vital case study for survivors, advocates, and educational administrators worldwide.
First, the case dismantled the myth that elite, high-cost private institutions are inherently immune to predatory behavior or systemic corruption. The insular nature of boarding schools—where faculty members often live alongside students and serve as teachers, coaches, and parental surrogates—creates distinct power dynamics that predators can exploit if strict boundaries and independent oversight are absent.
Second, Vurno’s bravery fundamentally altered the culture surrounding reporting. By stepping out of the shadows, she demonstrated that institutional loyalty should never supersede student safety. Her decision encouraged other survivors of historical abuse to reassess their own experiences, break their silence, and demand systemic change.
Finally, the case highlighted the power of independent investigations. When institutions are forced to publish comprehensive findings regarding past misconduct, it validates the experiences of victims, prevents institutions from rewriting their history, and creates a clear evidentiary foundation for legal accountability.
The legal battle surrounding The Thacher School demonstrated that past silence does not mean a survivor’s journey toward justice is over. While legislative windows like California’s AB 218 have specific operational dates, the broader movement toward institutional accountability continues to evolve nationwide.
Many states periodically introduce new legislation, revive lookback windows, or reform discovery rules for adult survivors of childhood trauma. Depending on the state where the misconduct occurred, the nature of the institution, and evolving statutory laws, survivors may still have viable legal options to hold negligent entities accountable.
Consulting with experienced legal professionals who specialize in institutional abuse remains an essential step for survivors seeking to understand their rights, evaluate potential claims, and take back their voice.
Good morning. My name is Paul Mones of Paul Mones PC, and myself along with my colleague Courtney Kiehl have filed a case in Ventura County against The Thacher School. Our firm specializes in cases of sexual abuse, representing individuals both in California and around the nation.
In this matter, sitting with me today is Jennifer Christensen Vurno, I should say, and Ms. Vurno will speak after I address a few short comments.
This case has already been filed against The Thacher School, and it’s been filed pursuant to legislation in California that was enacted several years ago that gives people—adults, basically—three years to file a case against individuals and institutions in which they were abused. And she filed this case pursuant to a statute, AB 218.
Ms. Vurno attended The Thacher School from 1992 through 1996. The person who sexually abused her, Mr. Freiberg, in 1993 and in 1996, she was sexually abused by Mr. Freiberg on a number of occasions. John Freiberg was a teacher at the school for about a ten-year period.
Ms. Christensen Vurno, or Jennifer, as I’ll call her, suffered greatly, as she will tell you, as a result of this sexual abuse. In the typical press conference that I’ve done over the years representing untold numbers of victims of sexual abuse around the country and in California, typically the lawyer does most of the talking. And what’s going to be different about this conference today is that my client, Jennifer—who we are very proud of for her bravery in coming forward—is going to be making a statement and to the extent we allow her to answer certain questions from you in the media.
It’s important to note in this case, and what’s unique about this case, is that the law firm that The Thacher School hired—Munger, Tolles & Olson—to investigate allegations of sexual abuse, this is fairly typical of large private institutions, private schools where there’s been allegations of sexual abuse. In this case, Munger, Tolles & Olson, pursuant to a request by The Thacher School, published a report in June of 2021. And in that report, they interviewed scores of teachers and former students, including Ms. Christensen Vurno, or Jennifer—I’m used to calling her Jennifer, but I’m being a little formal here—but interviewed Jennifer as well.
What occurred in this investigation was not just uncovering information that, as we allege in our complaint, John Freiberg had acted inappropriately sexually and engaged in sexual misconduct with a number of students, but other teachers as well. So this was not just one teacher, but rather, as the report reflects, a number of teachers at the school. And the report also reflects that the administration at The Thacher School was aware of, and should have been aware of, a number of these incidents.
I’m going to just read for you briefly from the report, which is also contained in our complaint, which is available, about what the report found concerning Mr. Freiberg’s history at the school.
So according to this report, prior to coming to The Thacher School, Freiberg was a teacher and soccer coach at The Governor’s Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, where he worked with the future Head of School at The Thacher School, Mr. Michael Mulligan. According to the report, Michael Mulligan found that Mr. Freiberg had an inappropriate relationship with a senior on the girls’ soccer team at The Governor’s Academy. The June 2021 report also stated that Mulligan told investigators that he discovered the relationship when he noticed Freiberg and the senior girl spending too much time together, and then Mr. Mulligan reported it to the school. The report also found that Mr. Mulligan reported the inappropriate relationship with the female student to the Headmaster of the Academy, and Mr. Freiberg was asked to leave The Governor’s Academy as a result of the report of Mr. Mulligan.
A few years later, Mr. Freiberg was hired as a teacher at Thacher, as the Associate Director of Development, and the girls’ varsity coach. At that time, Mr. Mulligan had previously come to The Thacher School. It’s very important to look at this timeline. So Mr. Mulligan came to the school, and then Mr. Freiberg came to the school.
At the time, both Mulligan, who was the Assistant Headmaster for Student Affairs, often referred to as the Dean of Students, according to the report, and another faculty member told the investigators from Munger, Tolles & Olson that the Headmaster, Bill Wyman, knew about Freiberg’s inappropriate relationship with the girl at The Governor’s Academy. This is an extremely important fact—that there was knowledge that Mr. Freiberg had an inappropriate relationship before coming to The Thacher School.
According to this report again, in reference to the inappropriate relationship at The Governor’s Academy, Freiberg stated, or the school stated, that the matter of Freiberg’s prior allegations were investigated thoroughly, and he was then hired at The Thacher School. According to the report in June 2021, during the interview, Mr. Mulligan stated that he supported Mr. Freiberg’s hiring at the school, even though he had this prior history. And according to the report, Mr. Mulligan said that it was inconceivable to him that Mr. Freiberg would again, quote, “make the same mistake” that he had made before.
As we allege in our complaint, all of this happened before my client, Jennifer, enrolled at the school. She enrolled in the school in 1992. The abuse happened in 1996.
Now, after several complaints against Mr. Freiberg surfaced in 1997, The Thacher School quietly let Mr. Freiberg go. He was able to sail off into the sunset without any significant consequences, and to the best of our knowledge, no further investigation was done.
Had Mr. Freiberg not been hired at the school, Jennifer would not be sitting next to me today.
It’s now my honor to introduce Jennifer Christensen Vurno.
Just take your time, okay?
Okay. Well, as we have established, my name is Jennifer Christensen Vurno, and I’m a graduate of The Thacher School. I graduated in 1996.
Thacher, the boarding school that claims excellence in all aspects of boarding high school by raising self-confident, resilient, compassionate, ambitious young people through the principles of honor, fairness, kindness, and truth. I am not here because of what they claim to be or claim to produce. I’m here because I’m a victim-survivor of child sexual assault perpetrated on the Thacher campus by my high school soccer coach, teacher, college advisor, John Freiberg.
John was hired in 1987, nearly ten years before he assaulted me. He was hired despite admitting to school administrators that he had, quote, “dated” a female high school soccer player at his previous high school, The Governor’s Academy, where he was both employed as a teacher and a soccer coach. His employment was ultimately terminated at that school due to this inappropriate relationship.
At Thacher, he established himself as a great soccer coach and charismatic leader within the school. When I arrived at Thacher at the young age of 14, I was desperate to find my place in this world that I fully trusted and believed in. I was a successful soccer player prior to attending Thacher and held on to this identity as a way to define myself in this new community. By my senior year, I had been a varsity soccer player for three years and believed and entrusted no one more than John Freiberg.
In my senior year, at a most desperate and struggling moment, I went to John Freiberg to seek help. I looked to him for guidance and care, trusting completely in his ability to help and support me. But this was not the case. He took this trust and belief and used it against me as a tool to perpetrate the most heinous crime of sexual violence against my 17-year-old self.
Frozen by shock and fear, I sat and lay there terrified as my world shattered in and around me, never to be the same girl again. I did not report his abuse directly to the administration at the time because I was embarrassed and fearful of what would happen to me if I did report the abuse. I knew I could never bear my young soul to the very community that told me to trust and love and to obey this man.
One year after my assault, I found out from the immense strength of three other young victim-survivors of John Freiberg that he was asked to quietly leave the school, and the school could pretend that it had not destroyed the lives, selves, and futures of the young girls John Freiberg allegedly abused.
The problems caused by John Freiberg’s sexual assault of me were compounded by the silence and inaction of the school. I lost the sense that I could expect I would be protected from harm, the security of living in a community where I could trust that if I were to be harmed, I would be helped. I lost my community and the world necessary for transparent self-formation. He was protected, and I was abandoned, cast aside. The school’s silence condoned his actions and ignored the existence of the devastating pain and destruction left upon me and the other victims.
I am here today for myself and all the other victim-survivors who were sexually assaulted by John Freiberg and other perpetrators at Thacher. This school was my home and my family for many, many years. After leaving the physical campus, I believed that it was my duty and obligation to not tarnish the image of the school, but to do so rendered me and my experience completely invisible.
I’m here to shed my shame of the assault because it was not my fault. He was a 40-year-old adult, and I was a 17-year-old child seeking help, guidance, love, approval, and acceptance.
I’m here to bring my assault and pain into the light, because if we as humanity and communities can acknowledge and really listen to the pain and destruction of such crimes and assaults, then we can no longer turn a blind eye to such perpetration. Perhaps every teacher, administrator, member of a school community can hear and see this vulnerable population that deserves protecting and know they must act, because the destruction of the many young lives lie in their ability to see and acknowledge such assaults.
We, the victim-survivors, must be advocated for, supported, and helped on our journey to healing. Perpetrators must not be protected and hidden. Perpetrators must be held accountable for their crimes, because sexually assaulting a teenager is a crime—not a mistake, not a lack of judgment. It is a crime and deserves to be treated as such.
I filed my case to hold the school accountable for the crimes they allowed to happen and their failure to protect the children from such crimes. I have suffered every day since the day John Freiberg first sexually assaulted me on the Thacher campus. I have never been the same.
The school must put the welfare of every student above the reputation of the school and the perpetrators themselves, and if and when they cannot, they must be held accountable.
Finally, I am here today not as an anonymous Jane Doe, but using my real name, Jennifer Christensen Vurno, because I want to help give a voice to those who, understandably, are too embarrassed, shameful, or fearful of using their real name. I want to pull back the curtain and come out of the shadows to state that victim-survivors of sexual abuse will no longer be silenced.
Thank you.
Thank you. I just want to add again before we take questions how unique it is in California. For those of you who covered this, you will know that the vast majority—90 over 90 percent—proceed as John Does or Jane Does for very legitimate reasons, because the pain of sexual abuse and the long-term consequences are so harmful that they can’t and are too embarrassed to use their real name. So it’s a real step forward for Jennifer to come forward this way.
We’d also urge—we know that this report that was issued by The Thacher School through the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson really detailed many, many, many victims of sexual abuse, and to date we know that there have been very few cases actually filed in addition to ours. And we also urge that anybody who has any information about Mr. Freiberg or about any of the incidents that’s related to our complaint to come forward to contact our office.
In this case, as many of you may know, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office did a long investigation here, and as of the present date, because of the statute of limitations primarily, no criminal actions, to the best of our knowledge, have been filed at this time yet.
So now we’d be ready to take any questions, and I’m sure the person who’s helping monitor can help set that up.
(Brief pause while managing technical setup)
We should be able to hear people if they’d like to unmute. So if people want to unmute and ask questions now, do we have any questions?
Hello, Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times. Good morning. I want to ask you, how did you learn what happened when you eventually got some call a few years ago from probably someone from Munger Tolles, or how did it come about that they made that call to you?
Let me repeat that question because not everybody heard it. How did it come about that Jennifer was contacted by Munger Tolles, and she is in the report—and she’ll tell you who she is in the report—but why don’t you answer Mr. Winton’s questions in the Times?
So I learned that they were doing a report from a classmate who was also assaulted at the school, and she shared with me. So I reached out to them, and they did an interview with me. I’m Student D under John Freiberg’s section there.
And when you were at the school, after the horrific incident you had with him, were you aware that there were—and what was the level of awareness among students that there was kind of not just Freiberg, but other incidents with teachers and staff?
I think there is a large level of awareness. I can remember coming in as a freshman being told that there was some situation between a soccer coach and his student—it was not Freiberg that I was aware of.
We were always encouraged to be really close with our teachers. They would invite us over all the time; they had us in their homes.
So my junior year, there were like rumors going around about other students, and there was always the joke that, you know, the women’s or the girls’ soccer team was “Fry’s Girls” that they would refer to us as.
Thank you. Okay, any other questions?
In terms of the current legal action, has there been communication amongst other peers or alumni from school about leveling like a historic class action lawsuit or any type of communication?
As far as we’re aware, there’s no class action. I think there was a lawsuit filed a couple of—two or three weeks ago. And we don’t know about this, but there may be other ones.
But considering the number of people who were mentioned in this report, it’s quite surprising. I’ve been involved in private school cases involving sexual abuse by staff all over the United States, and the numbers of lawsuits that have been filed have been numerous in a number of those other schools that I could think of. And here, as far as we know now, the statute is not closed yet, but who knows what will happen.
So can you talk a little bit more about the decision, Jennifer, to put your name with the lawsuit?
Yeah, I think when I first thought about reporting, the idea was it would completely just knock the wind out of me and render me unable to function in daily life. And as I went through the process, as I first reported to MTO, I began to realize that the story of abuse of what happened to me was still controlled by the school because they were hired by the school, and that they were going to be able to determine what happened to it.
And so I really just fought against that and really struggled to step out. I think it’s my final step to say it wasn’t my fault. Like, I think for a long time I thought and believed it was.
And can I speak to the culture of not reporting?
Sure, you could talk about that in general.
Yeah, I mean, I think that why there aren’t more complaints, I think there’s a real culture of to not report, to not share the family secrets, to not bring a bad name. And that’s been the guilt that I still carry with me.
Paul, can I ask you a question? It’s Richard Winton again. I just glanced at the report. It says Freiberg went on to work at other locations and has now retired. Do you have any idea where he went after this and any sense of what happened with him?
No. Yeah, we have some information, but I’d probably rather not discuss that during the press conference at this point.
Can you hear me? This is Kimberly with the Ojai Valley News, Kimberly Rivers. Hello. I was wondering if Mr. Mulligan is named at all or being considered at all as part of the claim in regards to facilitating Freiberg coming to Thacher?
Yeah, he’s not named in our lawsuit.
And then Jennifer, I was wondering—I know that there are groups on social media of alumni and students that are creating support for victims and folks as yourself who have tried to find ways to come forward and talk. I did reporting for another paper with a victim who came forward but declined to use her name. I’m wondering if you’re in communication with those groups and what the response is to you coming forward in such an open and public way?
All the social media accounts that were connected to Thacher have gone silent. I actually have tried to reach out to them and they have all not responded to me. Once Blossom left the school, they all went silent.
Thank you so much.
Any other questions out there? It’s weird, usually in my press conference experience over the years, you can see big people out in the audience, but we’re on electronic now, so.
If we have further follow-up questions that come up, can we contact you, Mr. Mones?
You can contact us here and we’d be glad to put you in touch. Jennifer would be willing to answer any questions within the confines of what I could let her answer.
I would urge you to look at our complaint, which is fairly detailed and quotes extensively from the report. This notion of schools using reports gained a lot of popularity about ten years ago, and now it has really become sort of the de rigueur for private schools.
And Thacher, what’s significant about this case too with Thacher is clearly one of the most prestigious private boarding schools in California, if not the country, and this report reflects an issue of dealing with sexual abuse for decades at the school, or the instances of sexual abuse there, or that sexual misconduct as they call it in the report. But we’d be glad to answer your questions.
Okay, I think that that’s probably it. If anybody has any further questions, you know how to contact us and we appreciate everybody’s time. Thank you very much, and we’ll be available for questions later if you have any. Thank you.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Every case is unique, and legal outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable laws. Some names, stories, and characters mentioned in this blog may be for illustrative purposes only and do not depict real individuals or events. Reading this blog does not establish an attorney-client relationship with Paul Mones PC, nor does it guarantee any specific legal result.
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