Oakland music school sued for alleged sex abuse by choir director

The lawsuit alleges the choir's founding director, Kevin Fox, groomed and sexually abused boys over the span of a decade.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Once an internationally recognized and award-winning youth choir, Oakland-based Pacific Boychoir Academy, was hit with a lawsuit by former students.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday with the Superior Court of Alameda County, alleges the choir's founding director, Kevin Fox, groomed and sexually abused boys over the span of a decade.

The choir and day school, which shut down in June according to the California Department of Education, was founded by Fox more than 20 years ago, and according to the lawsuit, has had more than 1,200 boys pass through its programs.

It’s unclear whether the allegations are the cause of the closure.

Former students name themselves as victims of abuse

Salsburg-Frank is one of the seven people suing the organization, which had been churning out notable international performances each year for the better part of two decades.

Salsburg-Frank met Fox at 8 years old when he attended the choir's summer camp.

He later enrolled at the school, and was there from 4th to 8th grade, but continued to sing in the choir in high school.

"I loved it," he said. "It’s what made me want to go into music as a career."

He told KTVU he was most recently the interim music director at the academy for the 2024-2025 school year, but left the school in May.

"I was there for a year in charge and then everything started to come back to me while I was there," he said.

The lawsuit alleges that "Fox sexually assaulted Zach around the time he was in high school" when he was "alone at Fox’s house and had been drinking alcohol provided by Fox."

"It totally devastated me," Salsburg-Frank said. "It’s made me rethink my entire life from age 9 to 26, all of my relationships you have, all of the things I was ever told, my career."

What they're saying:

Fox is not listed as a defendant, but the lawsuit alleges he "used his position as a charismatic, brilliant, Grammy award-winning choir director to groom, manipulate, sexually harass, and sexually abuse underage boys, among other highly inappropriate conduct."

Each of the victims shared similar stories, some providing screenshots of Fox showing them attention and directing the conversations to "wildly inappropriate discussions regarding sexuality."

"The standard textbook grooming playbook is to start with making somebody feel special, making somebody feel singled out," said one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, Marc Lewis of Lewis and Llewellyn law firm in San Francisco.

The complaint also says Fox instructed the boys to talk to him through a private messaging portal called Confide and told them to delete messages periodically.

There could be more victims, lawyer says

Another plaintiff in the suit, Jeremy Davis, said he's struggled with his mental health, even becoming hospitalized for suicidality.

"I slowly became more depressed, more isolated," he said.

Davis, who said he had a troubled childhood, was taken under Fox’s wing when he met him in the 5th grade.

The lawsuit describes an overseas choir trip when Fox allegedly molested Davis in his hotel room.

The complaint reads that Fox "walked over to Jeremy’s bed and slipped his hands under the covers."

"It was a huge secret that I held on to and it was just eating me alive," Davis said.

Now, singing, a passion that was once a constant in his life, is too triggering.

"It reminds me of a lot of painful memories," he added.

The lawsuit lists seven child victims who are now adults, who each have their own stories of abuse.

"There's others we have spoken to that have also been victimized or know about it," Lewis said. "We also think there are more out there."

Not enough done to protect the boys, lawsuit alleges

The complaint against PBA includes allegations of negligence, negligent hiring, supervision, and retention.

The lawsuit alleges that "multiple staff members and directors at the PBA received credible complaints regarding Fox’s misconduct with young boys," but that "the PBA and its personnel ignored these complaints."

It lists examples, including in 2008, 2009, 2012, and in 2022, when mothers and "survivors of Fox's abuse" came forward in various ways.

"I just want to see justice for the people that were responsible for this," said Salsbury-Frank, now 26.

KTVU could not reach Fox

KTVU interviewed Kevin Fox in 2015, when the choir was going to China for a special performance.

All attempts to reach Fox, or anyone associated with him or PBA, were unsuccessful.

Darek DeFreece, the man listed as the agent of the school on the state business website, told KTVU he had no comment because he left the board in May.

Salsbury-Frank said he reported his situation to police.

The Oakland Police Department referred KTVU to San Francisco Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

SFPD did not immediately respond.

An FBI spokesperson told KTVU that per policy, the agency cannot confirm or deny any investigation into the allegations against Cox.

The Alameda County Superior Court website shows a hearing will take place on the case in March 2026.

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