Kozak Lawsuit: Rachel Mitchell Accused of Offering ‘Sweetheart Deal,’ School Allegedly Ignored Abuse

“Liberty Elementary had been acutely aware of Jacobsen's proclivities before he sexually abused her, ignored prior complaints about Jacobsen from other students and parents”

In January 2024, according to Kozak’s lawsuit she discovered that “Liberty Elementary had been acutely aware of Jacobsen's proclivities before he sexually abused her, ignored prior complaints about Jacobsen from other students and their parents, and taken affirmative acts of concealment after Jacobsen's arrest.”

The complaint alledged, “between 2003 to 2005, Liberty Elementary School teacher Joshua Jacobsen groomed, exploited, and sexually abused student Kayleigh Kozak while she was ages 12 and 13.” There were several students and teachers that complained to the principal and then-prosecutor never disclosed these facts to Kozak or her parents.

These new revelations, along with numerous subsequent teacher-related sex abuse cases, drove Kozak to seek accountability over 20 years later.

The lawsuit named for purposes of discovery, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, the law firm of Wright Welker & Pauole, PLC, Nancy Bogart, Jerry Rovey, former S…