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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A gay man sued the Los Angeles LGBT Center Monday, alleging he was sexually abused by a director during the plaintiff's high school internship more than a decade ago.
The plaintiff is identified only as John Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that alleges sexual harassment, battery and assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, negligent supervision, negligent hiring and retention and negligent failure to warn, train or educate.
Doe seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. An LGBT Center representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit.
Doe was an 18-year-old senior at Vistamar High School in El Segundo in May 2012 and participated in a month-long unpaid internship program designed to provide seniors with work experience as part of graduation, the suit states.
Doe was struggling with his self-esteem and sexual identity and he and his parents believed he would benefit by an internship offered by the LGBT Center, hoping that the experience would aid the plaintiff in feeling more comfortable with his sexual identity and ease his coming out, according to the suit.
Doe and his parents met with the director of the LGBT Center's Life Works Division, 46-year-old Michael Ferrera, who previously worked at a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center where at least two young males had accused Ferrera of sexual misconduct, the suit states.
Ferrera volunteered to be Doe's mentor at the LGBT Center even though the Life Works Division director did not usually have an intern through the program, according to the suit, which further states that Ferrera quickly changed Doe's work hours so that the plaintiff came in to work an hour later than the rest of the interns and remained in the office an hour after the staff and other interns went home.
During the first week of Doe's internship, Ferrera allegedly flirtatiously touched the plaintiff, commented on his physical looks, bought things for him, invited him on outings and paid constant attention to him.
In the second week of his internship, Ferrera forced the plaintiff to perform a sex act, the suit alleges. Ferrera sexually assaulted the plaintiff about 25 to 30 times, about half of which occurred at the LGBT Center, the suit further alleges.
Doe was left depressed and embarrassed, but worried he might not be able to graduate if he did not complete the internship, the suit states.
Ferrera's secretary during Doe's internship sometimes worked after hours and knew or should have known that Ferrera was abusing the plaintiff, the suit states.
Doe continues to suffer emotional distress and receives ongoing therapy and counseling, according to the suit.