Family of teen victimized in suspected Concord sexual abuse sues Contra Costa County

OAKAND — The family of a 17-year-old boy who said he was victimized by his therapist has filed a claim as a precursor to a lawsuit against Contra Costa County and state authorities for allegedly failing to prevent sexual abuse and grooming.

Attorney John Burris announced the lawsuit at a press conference Tuesday.

In the suit, the family of the boy, identified as John Doe, claims that Sofia Ann-Buitron Drotts groomed and eventually had a sexual relationship with him while he was assigned to see her from 2024 to 2026. Doe had been in custody at Juvenile Hall in Contra Costa County when Drotts, a temporary employee with Contra Costa County Health Services, was assigned to be his therapist.

As a 17-year-old and ward of the state, Doe could not legally consent to the sexual relationship. Burris said the boy was 15 years old when assigned to see her.

“It’s so offensive, the (alleged) conduct in this case and the fact that all of the warning signs were missed by the supervisors of this woman,” Burris said by phone Monday afternoon. “It’s just a complete breach of legal conducts and ethical standards.”

“We trusted these professionals with our son’s healing and that trust was betrayed and fundamentally shattered,” Moala said in a statement. “Our focus is on our son’s recovery and protection.”

Concord police arrested Drotts last week. According to police, the Contra Costa County Probation Department reported the alleged relationship between Drotts and the teen. Drotts was not listed in custody on county jail records Monday.

According to Burris, Doe had been assigned to a therapist because he had suffered emotional trauma that “in part led to his placement” in Juvenile Hall. Doe continued to see Drotts after the probation department released him from the juvenile facility on April 3, 2026, Burris said.

“She took advantage of his emotional vulnerability,” Burris said. He added that the sexual relationship started “under the guise of therapy.”

He also said the actions should not be seen as any less serious because the victim was a boy.

“If this is a girl, everybody is up in arms,” Burris said. “We’d talk about how it’s ruined her life and all the damage done.” Abuse of a teen boy, he said, should be considered equally as serious, “especially if we’re talking about somebody with significant emotional problems.”

The lawsuit claims that state and county healthcare workers who worked alongside Drotts failed to act on or report repeated warning signs of the alleged predatory behavior. Burris called that failure a “breach” of duties at both the county and state levels.

“She’s supposed to be helping him,” Burris said. “Instead, we believe she was grooming him and using him for her own desires and sexual gratifcation in a very predatory way.” In the statement, he said the conduct “violates every moral, legal, and professional standard meant to protect vulnerable clients like Doe from professionals who exploit positions of trust for personal gain. Such conduct cannot be tolerated, and the employees’ supervisors must be held accountable for failing to supervise and monitor this caseworker’s relationship with Doe.”