Former Oviedo High football player files lawsuit over alleged locker room assault

Jeff Levkulich,Sarah Wilson
·2 min read
2

A former Oviedo High School football player recently filed a lawsuit over accusations of sexual assault in the school’s locker room.

Accusations of locker room sexual assaults tied to the school’s football team go back more than four years. Police launched an investigation into allegations of sexual battery involving the school’s JV football team in 2018. The state attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the case.

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The next year, law enforcement investigated a reported assault in the school’s locker room, leading to the school taking disciplinary action against three students.

Now the former football player who filed this new lawsuit says he suffered both physically and emotionally.

Read: ‘Locker room shenanigans’: Police investigating members of Oviedo High School football team

According to a nine-page complaint, the 18-year-old said he was a victim of a sexual assault called a “code red” at Oviedo High School.

In the lawsuit, he says it caused him significant bodily injury, resulting in pain and suffering of both a physical and mental nature, a loss of capacity for life, medical expenses and the loss of ability to earn money, as well as a loss and ability to lead and enjoy a normal life, which continues to this day.

Read: Fourth parent alleges abusive culture, video shows noose hanging in Oviedo H.S. locker room

The student said both Oviedo High School’s principal at the time, Joe Trybus, and the district knew about the “code reds” dating back to 2017, but did nothing. He claims the district concealed the assaults by members of the football team.

In the second count of his lawsuit, he also says his Title IV rights were violated, saying the district Title IV office also knew of the assaults but allowed him to be victimized and harassed at school. The count says his education suffered and he eventually had to withdraw from school.

Read: Father says son was also assaulted inside Oviedo High School locker room

Channel 9 reached out to the Seminole County Public Schools for comment, but the school district said it does not comment on pending litigation.

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