A $3.8 million settlement has resolved a civil case over the sexual assault of a San Jose girl with autism by the adult male therapist who was supposed to be treating her in her own home. The girl, who was under 14 at the time, was assaulted multiple times beginning in March 2024, according to the San Jose Police Department, before a relative reportedly caught the therapist in the act and called police, as noted by KRON4.
San Jose law firm Cerri, Boskovich & Allard announced that it secured the settlement from the therapist's former employer, Trumpet Behavioral Health, LLC, and its parent company, BlueSprig, according to KRON4. The firm said the case raised questions about employee screening, supervision and organizational responsibility.
San Jose police identified the therapist as Alejandro Lopez Nunez and said he was arrested in Santa Clara on June 9, 2024, according to the San José Police Department. KRON4 described Nunez as a 50-year-old Santa Clara resident; the East Bay Times reported he was 48 at the time of his arrest. Nunez worked as a behavioral therapist for Trumpet Behavioral Health and also held a part-time job as an instructional aide at Forest Hill Elementary School in the Campbell Union School District, KRON4 reported.
Attorney Says Company Was Warned Before Placement
Attorney Mark Boskovich alleged that Trumpet kept the therapist on staff after receiving warnings that he had inappropriately touched multiple children at a childcare provider, according to KRON4. The firm's account also says Trumpet placed him in the home of a developmentally disabled minor with little supervision. Boskovich said organizations employing adults who work with children have an obligation to protect them.
Trumpet said it ended the employee's employment and began an internal review after learning of the incident, while cooperating with law enforcement. A company representative told KRON4 that it took “immediate action in cooperation with law enforcement.”
Why Reporting Abuse Is Harder for Nonverbal Children
Cerri, Boskovich & Allard said abuse can be especially difficult to report when children are nonverbal or have significant communication and developmental impairments, and described the relative's discovery as critical in this case. Trumpet's acquisition by BlueSprig Pediatrics closed in October 2023, adding nearly 40 locations to the KKR-backed platform's footprint, according to Behavioral Health Business.
The firm has pointed to broader data about the vulnerability of people with disabilities to abuse. Its announcement, carried by FinancialContent, cited federal and media analyses; those general findings do not describe this case or establish what occurs in therapy settings.
What Federal Victimization Data Show
Bureau of Justice Statistics data show that during 2017–19, people with disabilities age 12 or older experienced violent victimization at a rate of 46.2 per 1,000, compared with 12.3 per 1,000 for people without disabilities, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. These figures provide broad context: they are not specific to autism or this case, and they do not establish how often abuse occurs in therapy settings.
Part of a Pattern of Institutional Settlements
The firm's announcement also referenced other institutional cases it has handled. Those prior results are separate from the facts and resolution of this case.
