CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The family of a 17-year-old boy has filed a government claim against Contra Costa County and California state authorities, alleging officials failed to prevent a therapist from grooming and sexually abusing the teen while he was under their care.
The claim, announced Tuesday by civil rights attorney John Burris, is a required precursor to a lawsuit against the county and state.
The teen is identified in court documents as John Doe.
The claim alleges that therapist Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts groomed the teenager before engaging in a sexual relationship with him while providing court-ordered mental health treatment between 2024 and 2026.
The teen was a ward of the state housed at Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall when Drotts, a temporary employee with Contra Costa County Health Services, became his therapist, according to the claim.
Because he was 17 years old and under state supervision, he could not legally consent to a sexual relationship with his therapist, Burris told reporters Tuesday during a press conference.
"We trusted these professionals with our son's healing, and that trust was betrayed and fundamentally shattered," Doe's mother, Sage Moala, said in a statement released by Burris. "Our focus is on our son's recovery and protection," the East Bay Times reported.
Concord police arrested Drotts last week after the Contra Costa County Probation Department reported the alleged relationship. County jail records indicated Monday that she was no longer in custody, the East Bay Times reported.
According to Burris, Doe was assigned counseling after experiencing emotional trauma that contributed to his placement in Juvenile Hall. Even after his release from the facility on April 3, 2026, he continued receiving therapy from Drotts.
"She took advantage of his emotional vulnerability," Burris said during Tuesday's news conference, adding that the alleged sexual relationship began "under the guise of therapy."
The claim alleges county and state employees who worked alongside Drotts failed to recognize or report repeated warning signs that should have prompted intervention. Burris said those failures amounted to a breach of the agencies' legal duty to protect vulnerable youth under their supervision.
"The therapist's conduct is deeply offensive," Burris said in a statement.
Government claims are typically required before plaintiffs can pursue lawsuits against public agencies in California. If the claim is rejected or not acted upon within the statutory period, the family may proceed with a civil lawsuit seeking damages.
Neither Contra Costa County nor state officials immediately responded Tuesday to the allegations detailed in the claim. Criminal proceedings against Drotts remain separate from the family's planned civil action, the East Bay Times reported.
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