INGLEWOOD MAYOR, THE CITY, AND SCHOOL DISTRICT FACE LEGAL CLAIMS AS STUDENT’S ATTORNEY ALLEGES MAYOR INAPPROPRIATELY TOUCHED A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 28, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — The Law Offices of Jason Glasgow, counsel for the Inglewood High School student identified here as Jane Doe to protect her privacy, today responded to statements by Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. about the September 15, 2026 Votechella event at City Hall, where it is alleged the Mayor held Ms. Doe by her bare skin and did not let go when the photograph ended, ultimately impeding her movement.

“We want to correct any impression that the family delayed in coming forward. Ms. Doe reported what happened the evening it happened, the Mayor came to their home that same night, and the family contacted our office shortly afterward for guidance. A matter like this deserves to be handled carefully, and we spent recent weeks gathering records and confirming the information before speaking publicly,” said Jason Glasgow, attorney for Ms. Doe.

A felony charge is available. California Penal Code § 149 makes it a felony offense for a public officer, acting under color of authority and without lawful necessity, to assault any person. Based on the facts known to date, including the account of an independent witness who saw the Mayor’s hand move down Ms. Doe’s back and saw her twist out from under his arm, we believe the Los Angeles County District Attorney can prosecute the Mayor’s conduct as a felony.

What was said at the press conference. At the September 21, 2026 City Hall press conference, four public officials spoke about conduct that we allege Penal Code § 149 punishes as a felony. Mayor Butts said, “there is no documented complaint against me or anyone else in the city of anything.” City Attorney Rick Olivarez said, “there is presently no matter before the city attorney’s office for review.” Assemblymember Tina McKinnor said, “An allegation is not a fact,” and that “no police report from the family has been identified,” that “we have not heard publicly from a student or her parents,” and that “we have not seen a public identified complaint from the student’s school, superintendent.” Dr. James Morris, County Administrator of Inglewood Unified School District, said in his written statement that day, “Our responsibility as educators is to protect our students. I am confident that we have done so in this case,” and “nor have I failed to follow up on a need for an administrative investigation.”

The statements gave a false impression that no one made a complaint. Ms. Doe reported the touching on September 15, 2026, the same day, directly to School District staff, and to City officials. That night, Mayor Butts went to her family’s home with the City Clerk and apologized to Ms. Doe and her father. A mayor does not go to a high school student’s home with a City official and apologize unless he knows a complaint has been made. When he told the public there was no documented complaint, he knew otherwise. Dr. Morris was made aware as well. In his own written statement Dr. Morris acknowledged that on the evening of the event he was contacted about whether he would fulfill his duties. Ms. McKinnor’s statement that no one had heard publicly from a student was untrue. Ms. Doe complained publicly right after the incident to high school staff and City officials. Ms. McKinnor and the City Attorney gave the public the same false impression that no one had complained, about conduct that Penal Code § 149 treats as a felony.

Ms. Doe is the accuser, and the Mayor attacked the accusers. Ms. Doe is the person who reported what happened to her to School District staff and City officials on September 15, 2026. At the September 21, 2026 press conference, Mayor Butts called the accusations “baseless, unsourced, and completely false.” He called them “slander and libelous defamation with no direct source or facts,” announced that his attorneys had served cease and desist demands on the activists and candidates who made them public, and said they “will be held to account.” The accusation the Mayor was denouncing is Ms. Doe’s report. He told the public there was “no direct source,” when the source was Ms. Doe herself, whose family’s home the Mayor had visited the night it happened to apologize.

The video exists and has not been produced. We have confirmed, and told the attorneys, that video footage of the incident from the City’s cameras exists and is in the City’s possession, available to be produced. Neither the City nor the Inglewood Police Department has released the video footage to our office. Our public records request to the City, sent September 30, 2026, has not produced any records. On October 9, 2026, the City’s outside counsel extended the City’s response to our September 30, 2026 public records request to October 23, 2026. On October 23, 2026, the City’s attorneys further extended its time to respond to November 6, 2026, which is 37 days after our public records request, and notably, three days after the November 3, 2026 election. The Public Records Act allows a total extension of no more than 14 days, which ended on or about October 24, 2026. We call on the City to release the videos immediately. We also believe it is a conflict of interest for the Inglewood Police Department to handle the investigation of its own City Mayor. We requested in writing that the investigation be handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department instead.

A government claim is being filed. Ms. Doe is filing a claim against the City of Inglewood and Mayor Butts under the Government Claims Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 900 et seq.).

Media Contact: Jason Glasgow, Esq., (213) 290-5060, [email protected]

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