U-Place School District to pay millions to settle sexual abuse lawsuit involving former coach

KIRO 7 News Staff
·2 min read
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Three former students who say they were sexually abused by a volunteer wrestling coach will be paid $9.5 million by the University Place School District.

The district agreed to pay a settlement to avoid a jury trial that was slated to begin on Monday.

The lawsuit by the former students alleges they were sexually abused by the coach between 2005 and 2007 during an off-campus weightlifting and conditioning program the coach developed. The students were between 14 and 16 years old.

The man was a volunteer coach at Curtis Junior High and Curtis High School from 2003 to 2010.

According to Vincent Nappo of the law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC, the school district should never have let the man coach at the schools because he had been previously convicted of crimes against children.

“We uncovered evidence that (the coach) was found guilty in 1977 of sexually abusing five children in Chehalis, Washington. Unfortunately, the District did not flag his criminal history in its hiring and screening process before giving him a coaching position,” said Nappo.

Nappo said the plaintiffs alleged that the district did not enforce safe boundaries between the coach and the student wrestlers.

“A number of witnesses were going to testify at trial that (the coach) was known to be ‘touchy feely’ towards boys and acted inappropriately in the locker room. In addition, it was known among coaches that (he) spent time alone with students off campus weightlifting. We believe (his) locker room behavior and out-of-school contact with students should have raised concerns,” said Nappo.

The University Place School District released the following statement regarding the settlement:

“University Place School District’s first priority is to provide a safe and positive educational experience for all of its students. The District recently reached a settlement with several former students who alleged sexual abuse by a former parent and volunteer coach in the wrestling program between 2005 and 2008. The settlement is being paid by the District’s insurers. The parent has not been associated with the District for many years. We are deeply saddened by these allegations and are sorry for any pain or suffering that students may have experienced. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved we are unable to provide additional comments.”