‘The school knew.’ Manatee district officials settle child sexual abuse lawsuit
School district officials settled a lawsuit that claimed school leaders ignored early warning signs that could have prevented the sexual abuse of two students.
The allegations related to an ongoing criminal case against Angel Rodriguez Mercado, 69, a former instructional aide at Florine J. Abel Elementary School in Manatee County. Mercado was arrested in 2023 and is facing felony charges of lewd and lascivious molestation.
On Tuesday, the School Board of Manatee County approved an undisclosed settlement for a civil lawsuit against the district that alleged district leaders acted with negligence and ignored Mercado’s behavior.
Mercado’s case is one of several employee misconduct cases that sparked a recent investigation by reporters from the Bradenton Herald and Suncoast Searchlight that revealed several incidents in which school district leaders failed proper vetting procedures for teachers who went on to abuse children.
The settlement was in the school board’s consent agenda, which passed unanimously. When reached for comment, a school district representative declined to comment.
Krisel McSweeney, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said settling out of this case was the best option for the family.
“Settlement is ideal in a situation like this because it allows the family closure and allows them to move forward,” McSweeney said.
McSweeney did not disclose the settlement amount, but said a six-to-seven-figure settlement is common for cases of this nature.
Suit alleges school leaders ignored warning signs
McSweeney represented two siblings and their mother, identified as John Doe, Jane Doe and Mother Doe.
The suit alleged that the principal of Abel Elementary at the time, Samantha Webb, knew about Mercado placing another student on his lap, but did not conduct a formal investigation into the claim.
“The same day, the parent received a call after her report from an unknown school employee, acting on behalf of the School Board, stating it was a misunderstanding, reflecting the School Board’s custom of dismissing complaints without investigation,” the suit claimed.
Other allegations include that Webb and former Assistant Principal Rebecca Britto knew about Mercado’s other inappropriate behavior, including interacting with students outside of school and encouraging students to call him names like “daddy” and “abuelo.”
‘Nothing was done’ to stop abuse, lawyer says
John and Jane Doe, the student siblings, experienced sexual abuse from Mercado during their second- and third-grade years, McSweeney said.
“The school knew, or should’ve known, of Rodriguez’s propensity to inappropriately touch minors,” McSweeney said. “Specifically, both the minors disclosed to their teacher that Rodriguez was placing them on his lap and touching them inappropriately.”
When the siblings’ mother learned of the abuse her children experienced, the suit alleges Webb admitted to previous claims against Mercado but believed he treated students like a “grandfather.”
“Unfortunately, nothing was done after these allegations were brought forward, and the abuse continued,” McSweeney said.
While this case is settled, another lawsuit against the school district remains open and includes similar allegations that district leaders ignored warning signs in Mercado’s behavior that led to abuse of another student at Abel.
Mercado is scheduled to appear for a jury trial in March to face the felony molestation charges.
