LONG BRANCH — Four civil lawsuits filed by minors alleging sexual abuse and inappropriate touching by a former Long Branch elementary school teacher have been resolved through court-approved settlements totaling $3.725 million against the Long Branch Board of Education.
The largest judgment, totaling $2.75 million, was awarded to a former student identified in court records as I.C., who alleged that former Catrambone Elementary School teacher Gustavo Barrientos repeatedly abused her between February 2017 and September 2018 while she was under the age of 13.
According to the lawsuit, Barrientos had access to the student as her homeroom teacher, math teacher and after-school reading tutor. The complaint alleged the incidents occurred on school property, including inside classrooms.
Court filings alleged Barrientos engaged in repeated sexual abuse, including inappropriate touching and exposing the student to pornographic material. The claims were outlined in the civil complaint but were not litigated at trial.
On Dec. 8, 2025, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Andrea I. Marshall approved the settlement through what is known as a “friendly hearing,” which is required when minors are involved in settlements. Court records show $691,632.83 was allocated toward attorney fees and expenses, while the student’s net recovery of more than $2 million was directed to the Monmouth County Surrogate for her benefit.
Three additional lawsuits brought by minors each resulted in $325,000 judgments.
In separate complaints, students identified as S.R., S.M. and C.R. alleged Barrientos inappropriately hugged, kissed or touched them while they attended the Catrambone school between 2017 and 2020. Court records indicate the children were approximately 9 years old or younger during the alleged incidents.
Judge Marshall approved those settlements in December 2025. Net recoveries for the three plaintiffs totaled more than $726,000 after attorney fees and costs.
Combined, the four plaintiffs received net recoveries totaling approximately $2.78 million, while about $940,000 covered legal fees and litigation expenses. The students were represented by attorneys Zlata Rudikh and Jordan B. Rickards of Rudikh & Associates in Old Bridge.
The settlement orders state the agreements were compromises of disputed claims and did not include admissions of liability by the defendants.
Barrientos was separately convicted in Monmouth County criminal court on June 11, 2024, of four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child involving sexual conduct by a caretaker.
According to court records, Judge Henry P. Butehorn sentenced Barrientos on Aug. 15, 2024, to a combined 17-year state prison term. The sentence included one nine-year term and a consecutive eight-year term, with additional concurrent sentences on remaining counts.
Barrientos, now 58, is also subject to Megan’s Law registration requirements and parole supervision for life. State Department of Corrections records list him as incarcerated at South Woods State Prison.
Court-approved settlements are not findings of liability, and the allegations raised in the civil lawsuits were not proven or disproven during a trial.
