Woman Sues Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Alleges Sexual Abuse

A young woman is suing the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, alleging her internship mentor took advantage of her vulnerability after the plaintiff’s mother died to engage her in an improper sexual relationship for two years.

The woman, now 22, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint also names as defendants the city of Los Angeles, the Department of Recreation and Parks, Los Angeles County and her alleged abuser, Cora Webber of San Pedro.

The suit alleges sexual abuse of a minor, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, supervision and retention and failure to report suspected child abuse.

The complaint seeks unspecified damages. A representative of the San Pedro-based aquarium did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. A spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office said today he could not find any criminal charges filed against Webber.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff was 16 years old when Webber was assigned to be her mentor during an internship that began at the aquarium in 2009.

“Webber was highly touted in multiple media outlets ... for her mentorship of plaintiff while at Cabrillo,” the suit states. “However, unbeknownst to the media, Webber was actually providing plaintiff with alcohol and drugs and manipulating her into engaging in an illegal sexual relationship.”

Soon after her internship began, Webber began showing special interest in the plaintiff by taking her out to eat and adjusting her own schedule to allow her to spend more time with the teen, the suit alleges.

The alleged abuses of the plaintiff occurred at various places, including the aquarium, on Webber’s boat, at Webber’s mother’s home and at Webber’s parents’ vacation residence, the suit states.

“Webber was aware that plaintiff’s mother had recently died of brain cancer and used this vulnerability to her advantage,” the suit states.

Webber told the plaintiff she would not have gotten her internship without her help and warned the teen she would kill herself if the plaintiff ever left her, the suit states.

The plaintiff relocated to Seattle in 2011, but Webber continued to try and contact the woman and again threatened to commit suicide unless she stayed, the suit alleges.

“After these extensive attempts, plaintiff explicitly told Webber to stop trying to contact her or her family,” according to the lawsuit.

Some of the aquarium employees, including a lab assistant, knew of the alleged illicit relationship between Webber and the plaintiff, but did not report it to law enforcement even though they were obligated to do so under law, according to the complaint.

The aquarium management also failed to enact safeguards so that Webber could not engage in such behavior with others in the future, the suit states.

“Instead, Cabrillo allowed her to leave the aquarium with an unblemished record, which allowed Webber to continue her predatory conduct and gain access to young girls she mentored at future places of employment,” the suit states.

--City News Service, photo of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium via Wiki Commons.