Torrance Unified School District runs the public schools of Torrance, in the South Bay. Its name is attached to one of the larger school abuse settlements in Los Angeles County, and the facts of that case show exactly how a district becomes responsible for an employee’s crimes.
The Torrance High wrestling case
Thomas Snider was a wrestling coach at Torrance High School. In October 2016 a jury convicted him of 26 felony counts of lewd acts on children ages 14 and 15, three felony counts involving children under 14, and eight misdemeanor counts, for conduct in 1995 and 1996 and again from 2013 to 2015. He was sentenced to 64 years and 8 months in prison. According to news reports of the case, school officials became aware of his so-called “skin checks” of wrestlers in 2013, after students told members of an opposing team, two years before his arrest.
In May 2018, Torrance Unified agreed to pay $31 million to settle the claims of 24 students. The settlement resolved the civil cases without a trial.
Why the gap matters
The two years between 2013 and the arrest are the center of a case like this. A school is responsible when the adults in charge had reason to know an employee was a danger and did not act. And every teacher, coach, and administrator on campus was required by law to report suspected abuse to the police or child protective services, not just to a supervisor.
Why the district is responsible
The district is responsible when the adults in charge knew, or should have known, that an employee was a danger to students and did not act: a principal who got a complaint and did nothing, a teacher who saw something and did not report it, a district that hired someone without checking. Those failures are what a case is built on. If you are 40 or older and the abuse happened before 2024, a 2026 law also requires stronger proof against a public school district: clear and convincing evidence that the district actually knew of the misconduct and failed to act. How a claim against a school district works.
Is it too late?
Probably not. If the abuse happened before 2024, you can usually file until you turn 40, or within a few years of realizing as an adult that the abuse caused harm you are living with now (that window is five years today; a law signed in 2026 shortens it to three years starting January 1, 2027). If the abuse happened on or after January 1, 2024, there is no deadline at all. You do not have to file a government claim first. More on deadlines.
Who may have a claim
Anyone abused as a student by a Torrance Unified employee or volunteer, including coaches and athletic staff, at any time. Survivors of the Torrance High wrestling program who did not take part in the 2018 settlement may still have a claim, depending on when the abuse occurred and when they connected it to the harm they live with today.
Talk to us
If you or your child was abused by an employee of this district, call 877-428-4544 any time. The conversation is private and free, cases are filed under a Doe name, and there is no attorney fee and no costs unless we recover.
Sources
The cases described on this page are drawn from court records and news reports. They are not our cases, and past results do not predict the outcome of any claim. This page is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice.
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