LONG BRANCH ‐ A Superior Court judge in Monmouth County ordered the Long Branch school district to pay a total of $3.75 million to the four student victims of Gustavo Barrientos, a former middle school teacher here who was convicted of sexual assaults against his former students.
The largest settlement was $2.75 million and was awarded to a victim identified only as I.C. in court documents because she is a minor. The other three victims, also all minors whose identities were concealed in the court records, were awarded $325,000 each. The settlements were reached last December. The guardians of three of the victims filed a lawsuit against the district in September 2024, while the guardians of the fourth student did so in January 2025.
Gustavo Barrientos, a former elementary school teacher in Long Branch, looks at one of his accusers as she read her victim impact statement. Barrientos was convicted for sexual assault.
John Paff, who writes a blog called “TransparencyNJ,” discovered the settlements in an Open Public Meetings Act, or OPRA request for information.
Barrientos, 57, of Tinton Falls, taught at the George L. Catrambone School.
He was arrested in February 2021 and charged with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old student victim. Shortly after his arrest, three more victims came forward.
Barrientos was accused by the four girls, all of whom were previously his fourth- and fifth-grade students during various years. The victims were between 9 and 10 years old at the time of the incidents.
He was convicted in 2024 for sexual assault against the four students. He was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison. He received a nine-year sentence to run consecutively after an additional eight-year sentence, along with fines and lifetime parole for endangerment of a child and inappropriate conduct with children.
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According to the lawsuits, the guardians each claim the victims were “seriously and permanently injured” by Barrientos’ actions. The guardians also claim that the injuries were caused “solely and wholly by reason of the intentional acts and omissions, negligence and carelessness” of each of the defendants, all of which the guardians claim had a duty to protect the victims.
All four of the minors were represented by attorney Zlata Rudikh of Rudikh and Associates in Old Bridge. Rudikh was not immediately available for comment.
Long Branch Superintendent of Schools Francisco Rodriguez did not immediately return a request for comment.
During the sentencing, one of the victims spoke about how, even after years of therapy, the memories of what Barrientos did and the nightmares she has still impact her.
“You were supposed to protect us, not ruin us,” she said.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Long Branch schools to pay $3.75M to settle sexual assault lawsuits
