Redlands Unified School District will pay another $2.25M to settle another lawsuit over teacher Laura Whitehurst’s abuse of students going spanning 5 years

Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst was 28 in 2013, when she was arrested for having sexual relations and having a baby with a student

Faced with 41 felony counts, in 2014 she pled guilty to having sex with three students one aged 14, two aged 16, between 2007 and 2013

In August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6million to the former student who impregnated Whitehurst, aged 16, while she was his teacher

Latest lawsuit was filed in 2021 by the 14-year-old former student who alleged he was preyed upon and sexually abused at Redlands High School by Whitehurst in 2007 and 2008, when she was his teacher

Plaintiff who filed his suit at 20, told police that he and Whitehurst had sex in her classroom before school, as well as at her apt and in her car, 

Whitehurst admitted to police in 2013 she had sex with the youth 10 to 15 times in her classroom and at her apt

The Redlands School District in Southern California will pay an extra $2.25million to settle the latest lawsuit involving former teacher, Laura Whitehurst, [L-R], who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing 

The Redlands School District in Los Angeles, will pay additional $2.25million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of the three students she was accused of sexually abusing, eight years ago. 
The settlement brings nudges the amount paid in settlements by the Redlands Unified School District to victims abused by Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst up to $8.25 million .
Whitehurst was arrested on July 1, 2013, for having improper relations with the student complainants. She was convicted and in August 2016, the district agreed to pay $6million to a former student who impregnated Whitehurst while she was his teacher.

The new settlement of $2.25M brings the amount paid by Redlands Unified School District to the victims of disgraced teacher Laura Whitehurst, up to $8.25 million. She was first arrested in 2013 and her guilty plea cost the district $6.25M in reparation

The latest lawsuit was filed in 2021 by another former student who alleged he was preyed upon and sexually abused at Redlands High School by Whitehurst in 2007 and 2008 when he was 14, according to the plaintiff’s attorney, Morgan Stewart. 
Laura Whitehurst was 28 in 2013, when she was arrested for having sexual relations and having a baby with a student.
The high school teacher admitted to police that she had sex and had a baby with the complainant – 17 at the time the lawsuit was filed – ten to 15 times in her classroom and at her apartment.

Laura Whitehurst was 28 in 2013, [photo L-R], when she was arrested – two weeks after giving birth to the baby daughter she conceived with her 16-year-old student

Whitehurst also revealed she and the under-aged lover who fathered her child began having sex at her apartment after a Disneyland trip in 2012.
Another victim was a 14-year-old freshman while Whitehurst was 23, during the time of their alleged relationship.
‘The victim, now 20, told police that he and Whitehurst had sex in her classroom before school, as well as at her apartment and in her car,’ a 2013 police news release stated.
The last victim to come forward said he was 16 when he had sex with Whitehurst, at that time his 23-year-old English teacher at Redlands High School.

Michael Cooper was 22 in 2013 when came out to say he had sex with the teacher at 16. ‘I didn’t feel like a victim; I’m not scarred for life or anything. To be honest, I had a good time when it was going on,’ he said and was not going to press charges

In the first lawsuit, the boy who fathered Whitehurst’s child alleged that Redlands Unified officials knew of his relationship with Whitehurst, who taught English and was a soccer coach, but failed to warn his family. His lawyer, Vince Finaldi, claimed the district ‘turned a blind eye’ to her improper conduct.
Whitehurst who gave birth in 2014 after having sex with a male student at for a year, starting when he was 16, ultimately pled guilty to unlawful sex with three former students.
Faced with 41 felony counts, the high school teacher in a plea bargain plead guilty to six of the counts. She agreed to a sentence of one year in jail, five years of probation and a lifetime registration as a sex offender and sex offender counseling.
She served six months in jail and registered as a sex offender.

Michael Cooper [left], was a 16-year-old student at Redlands High School in 2007 – 2008 when he had a year long ‘affair’ with 23-year-old English teacher Laura Whitehurst [right], after ‘she told him she had dreamed about kissing him’. They later had sex at her home

Two days after her arrest in the case of having a baby with her student in July 2013, a victim, who identified himself to NBC4 then as 22-year-old Michael Cooper, gave up his right to anonymity and came forward to report that he was also a former student who had a relationship with his English teacher Laura Whitehurst.
Cooper said the class had been told to write about their dreams and afterwards, Whitehurst told him she had dreamed of kissing him during a school field trip.
‘I didn’t have anything to say really,’ he said. ‘I was like, “Oh really, that’s crazy,” and a couple of days later, we ended up actually kissing.’
He said that they kissed in her classroom and two weeks later, she invited him to her apartment and he spent the night.

Whitehurst, aged 27, taught English to sophomores at Citrus Valley high School, where she was also a soccer coach, Link Crew adviser and a Compact Careers Club adviser when she conceived for her 16-year-old student

They continued to have sex a few times a month but he said he never felt as if they were in a relationship, but when they contacted each other, they both knew what was going to happen, he said.
‘When it happens, you’re kind of like, all right, this is pretty badass,’ he said. ‘You know, my teacher is into me. I was 17 and I was having a good time is what it was.
‘I didn’t feel like a victim; I’m not scarred for life or anything. To be honest, I had a good time when it was going on.’
According to Cooper in spring 2008, he stopped returning the teacher’s messages and calls as he had a girlfriend and had started to feel guilty. They eventually broke the relationship off amicably.
Cooper has filed a police report but told authorities he does not wish to press charges. He told NBC4 that he wanted to share his story to encourage other victims to come forward.
Whitehurst said that they had a relationship ‘but not to that extent’, Redlands police Detective Natasha Crawford said.

Laura Whitehurst was employed at Redlands High School, but Redlands Unified School District officials placed all the blame on the errant teacher and admitted no fault by settling the lawsuit for millions

Whitehurst, who taught English and was a soccer coach employed with the Redlands United Schools District, gave birth in 2014 after having sex with a male student for a year, starting when he was 16

After the jumbo 2013 settlement the plaintiff’s attorney said, ‘The size of this settlement represents the gravity of the damage done to this young victim and his family and it also highlights the extreme malfeasance and neglect by school officials who turned a blind eye to the criminal conduct of a teacher and failed to protect a student,’ Finaldi said.
The suit claimed the district failed to inform the student’s parents after there was reason to believe sexual abuse was taking place.  

Whitehurst, seen in court [photo], with her attorney James Gass in 2013, pled guilty to unlawful sex with three former students. She faced 41 felony counts but took a plea bargain and served six months in prison

The student who fathered her baby claimed he was stalked by Whitehurst prior to their relationship and that she told him she could not get pregnant. 
The student was present at the birth of their daughter and shared custody of the baby. 
Whitehurst was arrested after the mother of the boy reported their alleged year-long relationship and subsequent birth of their child to police.