Family Sues LAUSD After 12-Year-Old's Bullying Death

Lawsuit claims school district failed to protect student from fatal attack

Published on Mar. 11, 2026

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The family of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging the district failed to protect Khimberly from bullying that led to her death. Khimberly died after suffering a brain injury from being hit in the head with a metal water bottle during an on-campus fight at Reseda High School, where she was trying to defend her sister from bullies.

Why it matters

This tragic case highlights the devastating consequences of unchecked bullying in schools and the responsibility of school districts to enforce strong anti-bullying policies to protect student safety. The lawsuit also raises questions about the LAUSD's handling of the incident and whether more could have been done to prevent Khimberly's death.

The details

According to the lawsuit, Khimberly was trying to protect her sister Sharon from a bullying incident on February 17 when she was struck in the head with a metal water bottle thrown by another student. Khimberly suffered a brain injury and was in a medically induced coma for several days before passing away on February 25 at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. The family's attorney claims the same group of students had bullied and hurt another child prior to the attack on the Zavaleta sisters, and that the school did not take appropriate action despite repeated attempts by the family to get more information.

  • On February 17, Khimberly was struck in the head during the on-campus incident.
  • Khimberly died on February 25 at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.

The players

Khimberly Zavaleta

A 12-year-old student at Reseda High School who died after being struck in the head during a bullying incident on campus.

Sharon Zavaleta

Khimberly's sister, who was the target of the bullying incident that led to Khimberly's fatal injury.

Robert Glassman

The Zavaleta family's attorney, who is representing them in the lawsuit against the LAUSD.

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

The school district being sued by the Zavaleta family for allegedly failing to protect Khimberly from bullying.

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What they’re saying

“This tragedy really highlights and underscores the very real and very devastating consequences of unchecked bullying.”

— Robert Glassman, Family Attorney (nbclosangeles.com)

“School administrators cannot let giant fights just erupt in the middle of the campus and not do anything about it. That is totally inexcusable and that is unfortunately what happened in this case.”

— Robert Glassman, Family Attorney (nbclosangeles.com)

“I can't believe what I'm living through. What we've gone through has been very painful, and we don't want this to happen to any other students.”

— Zavaleta Chuquipa, Khimberly's Mother (nbclosangeles.com)

“She dreamed of being a doctor one day. She would tell me that she would heal me. She was just a really, really sweet girl.”

— Zavaleta Chuquipa, Khimberly's Mother (nbclosangeles.com)

What’s next

The LAUSD has declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, but the Zavaleta family is seeking justice for Khimberly and calling for stronger anti-bullying policies to be enforced in the district.

The takeaway

This tragic case underscores the urgent need for schools to take bullying seriously and implement robust measures to protect student safety. The Zavaleta family's lawsuit against the LAUSD aims to hold the district accountable and prevent similar devastating outcomes from occurring in the future.