"Aidan Romain is accusing Harvard-Westlake school in Studio City; its president, Richard Commons; the head of the boys' water polo program, Jack Grover; and former teammate Lucca van der Woude of allowing a culture of harassment within the elite program. The lawsuit was filed on 27 February in Los Angeles superior court."
"According to the complaint, Van der Woude allegedly repeatedly digitally penetrated him in locations around campus, including the pool, locker room, showers, weight room and a staircase. The reported harassment, which allegedly involved forcibly and without consent touching Romain's genitals, lasted through January 2024."
"Despite repeated, direct disclosures of sexual assault, the school failed to report the abuse, failed to remove the perpetrator, and instead retaliated against the victim, reads the complaint."
An 18-year-old Black student filed a lawsuit against Harvard-Westlake, an elite Los Angeles private school, alleging years of sexual assault and racial harassment by water polo teammates. The abuse reportedly began in August 2022 when the plaintiff was 14 and the only freshman on the varsity team, continuing through January 2024. According to the complaint, a teammate allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted him in multiple campus locations including the pool, locker room, and showers. The plaintiff also endured racial slurs and racist attacks from teammates. The lawsuit names the school, its president, the water polo program head, and the accused teammate, claiming school officials ignored reports, failed to remove the perpetrator, and retaliated against the victim to protect a star player. The school disputes the allegations.
#sexual-assault #racial-harassment #private-school-accountability #water-polo #institutional-negligence
Read at www.theguardian.com
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