The lawsuit, filed in Lake County Superior Court in September and moved to federal court this week, claims the players grabbed the boy, took him to the shower and sexually assaulted him. The hazing ritual was known to players as “The V” or “The Violation,” according to the suit.
Coaches did not properly supervise players, despite having a coaches’ office in the locker room, the lawsuit claims, and they were aware of past hazing on the team but failed to “take appropriate corrective measures.”
Younger athletes also were left vulnerable by using the same locker rooms as high school players, the lawsuit stated.
The father is seeking unspecified damages.
“We can’t let this continue to happen,” said Hammond attorney Alex Mendoza, representing the student’s father. “The school has to be held responsible for not protecting” him.
The suit names Superintendent Walter Watkins, Clark Principal Robert Wilson, coaches Stefen Hutchins and Marcos Campos, and multiple students in the suit. The Post-Tribune is not naming players, because they are juveniles.
The Juvenile Division of the Lake County Prosecutor’s office declined to say if criminal charges had been filed in the case.
