Between 2011 and 2013, the plaintiffs, consisting of seven minor boys, became members of the La Puente High School Varsity Soccer team. However, the varsity soccer team allegedly had a hazing ritual known as “the palo tradition,” which translated means “the stick tradition.” The hazing ritual allegedly entailed the varsity soccer members initiating new team members by physically and/or sexually assaulting them in the backroom of Coach Bahram Alavi’s classroom. A member of the team that had been assaulted reported the abuse to police, who led to the prosecution and conviction of three varsity soccer team members. The three boys pleaded guilty to serious sexual assault with a weapon. Five plaintiffs, by and though their respective guardians ad litem, sued Hacienda La Puente Unified School District; Bahram Alavi; the school principal, Ava Smalley; the assistant principal, Fernando Sanchez; the superintendent, Barbara Nakaoka; and several members of the board of education, including Joseph Chang, Rudy Chavaria, Jay Chen, Anthony Duarte, and Gino Kwok. Another plaintiff, acting individually, brought a separate action against the school district, Alavi, and Sanchez. In addition, a seventh plaintiff, by and though his guardian ad litem, brought a separate action against the school district. The three matters were ultimately consolidated. However, the guardians’ individual claims were discontinued and the claims against the individual defendants were ultimately dismissed. Thus, the matter continued against the school district. Plaintiffs’ counsel contended that “the palo tradition” consisted of older varsity members prodding a sharp pole up the anus of the new, younger team members. Counsel contended that the abuse took place while Alavi was in his classroom, a few feet away from the backroom, but did nothing to stop it. Thus, plaintiff’s counsel asserted that the school district failed to create and enforce hazing/bullying policies to prevent this type of tradition. Counsel further asserted that, in addition to having no policies in place to prevent hazing, the school district failed to properly train, supervise, and monitor Alavi and other administrators, which led to the ongoing sexual abuse of soccer players when they made the varsity team., The minor plaintiffs claimed that they suffer from great emotional trauma as a result of being assaulted. They alleged that their trauma has manifested itself in bouts of crying, anxiety, depression, irritability, shame, isolating themselves, and anger, among other things. In addition, they all claimed to have also experienced and exhibited most symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.