Sexual assault victim’s parents sue Nick Nolte
A lawsuit was filed Nov. 29 in Los Angeles Superior Court against actor Nick Nolte by parents of a teenage girl who they say was drugged and sexually assaulted at a party at the actor’s Malibu home two years ago.
Nicholas Woodring, who is also named as a defendant in the suit, was convicted in March of having sex with the girl, then 15 and a minor. The girl’s attorney, Philip Dunn, told the Associated Press that Woodring was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but that the case did not go to trial.
According to the civil suit, Woodring and a minor gave the girl the date-rape drug GHB and then sexually assaulted her at a Jan. 25, 2003 party. The parents claim Nolte was at fault because he was aware there were alcohol and drugs being given to minors.
The girl’s parents are seeking unspecified damages.
SMMUSD teachers earn top honor
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has announced that 19 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District teachers have earned National Board certification. National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. A voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes between one and three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.
The Malibu teachers earning the certification were Wendy Berman, Jill Matthews, Susan Scheer, Cindy Weinstock, Anna DeShautelle, Kelly Didion and Cindy Johnson.
City Hall party
Malibu’s holiday party will take place on Dec. 16 at City Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be appetizers and beverages donated by local business owners. The entire community is invited to come to the party. Guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to the Fire and Sheriff’s Departments’ toy drives.
New West Symphony releases CD
Thousand Oak’s New West Symphony has released its first CD as part of its 10th season celebration. Those who donate at least $100 to the symphony will receive a free copy of the CD, “The Best of the New West Symphony.”
The CD includes Wagner’s “Overture to Die Meistersinger,” the first movement of “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5,” Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture,” Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Holst’s “The Planets (Mars, Mercury and Jupiter).”
Donations raised through the CD program and various New West Symphony fundraising events support its community music education programs. According to the symphony, it performs for more than 25,000 children annually.
For more information and to make a donation, contact Diana Dunbar, New West Symphony’s director of development, at 805.777.7868 or Jennifer Schwabauer at 805.777.7866.