BURBANK (CNS) – Two former students at Burroughs High School in Burbank, who sued a fellow student and her mother for allegedly defaming them on the social media with false claims of sexual assault, have reached a settlement “in principle” in the plaintiffs’ lawsuit, according to court papers filed by the defendants’ attorneys.
“In light of the complexity of the anticipated settlement agreement, counsel for both parties respectfully requests that the court vacate all hearings in the case,” the defense attorneys stated in court papers filed Thursday with Burbank Superior Court Judge Frank M. Tavelman.
In their previous court papers, defense attorneys denied the allegations of the plaintiffs, John Doe and Jane Roe, and said they were barred by the statute of limitations. The lawyers also contended that any damages Doe and Roe suffered were their own fault.
According to the suit filed in March 2024, Doe and Roe, as well as defendant Jenna Smith, were students and all members of a campus group called the Club. Doe and Roe were in a romantic relationship that continued after they graduated, the suit further stated.
“The school showcased Jane Roe and John Doe in the Club,” the suit stated. “Roe and Doe were leaders in the Club in all aspects, by both in performance and structure. Doe served in an officer position at the helm of the Club during his senior year.”
In contrast, Jenna Smith participated in the shadows of Doe and Roe and the plaintiffs believe this caused her to become envious of them, the suit stated.
In March 2023, Jenna Smith began her campaign against Doe and Roe by falsely telling another student that Doe had sexually assaulted the defendant and Roe, the suit stated.
Jenna Smith subsequently “knowingly spread and published numerous false and defamatory statements to various social media applications, erroneously accusing John Doe of sexual assault,” according to the suit.
Smith’s mother, identified only as Mother Smith, “shared these wrongful allegations crafted by her daughter to numerous other parents of students,” the suit stated.
Doe and Roe, who were left feeling “utterly dejected (and) threatened, are uniquely talented in a specific area that they are both pursuing in collegiate study and both anticipate making careers in a highly public realm, the suit stated.
“These untrue accusations and false statements could irreparably harm them both, ending their careers before they have even really begun to flourish,” the suit stated.
Doe was exonerated by the school district after Jenna Smith filed a complaint against him, the suit stated.
On Jan. 22, a three-justice panel of the Second District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of a third party, the First Amendment Coalition, which had challenged the plaintiff’s position that Doe and Roe could proceed anonymously in their pleadings. The decision overturned Tavelman’s January 2025 ruling to the contrary.
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