Maine West High School Sued For Student Hazing, Sodomy 'Sanctioned By Coaches'
Posted: 11/20/2012 11:18 am EST Updated: 11/21/2012 1:15 am EST
The family of a Illinois high school freshman is suing the Maine Township High School District 207, claiming that Maine West High School officials sanctioned hazing of the unnamed teen as part of a years-long ritual at the school.
The unidentified mother appeared at a news conference Monday wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses alongside attorney Antonio Romanucci.
"I thought my son would be safe at school [ http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8891633 ]," she said, according to WLS-TV. "You think when you drop off your son, it's a safe place to be. But I feel like the coaches should have kept him safe on the soccer field, and they didn't do that."
The lawsuit claims that the 14-year-old and at least two other boys were sexually assaulted during soccer practice in September -- during school hours and condoned by coaches. The complaint alleges that teammates shoved the three boys to the ground and beat them. The older players then held them down, pulled down their pants and underwear and sodomized them.
The plaintiffs contend that the ritual dates back several years as part of initiation for being promoted to the varsity soccer team. They also say that Principal Audrey Haugan knew or should have known about the ritual, and two soccer coaches both witnessed and permitted the practice to continue.
"That behavior in today's society is disgusting," Romanucci said. "It should never be condoned. It should never have happened."
Doctors confirmed evidence of sexual assault [ http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121119/news/711199793/ ], according to the Daily Herald. School officials and police became aware of the incident after hearing students discuss hazing during school, and more than 100 people with knowledge of hazing at the school have been interviewed.
District officials said that 10 students are facing disciplinary action. Two soccer coaches have been temporarily reassigned with pay and three others who are not Maine West teachers have been terminated from coaching. Six students were petitioned to juvenile court, each charged with one count battery and one count hazing, according to Des Plaines police.
The lawsuit seeks monetary and injunctive relief. Romanucci said they're also calling for a clean sweep of prior team customs, creating new rules to prevent repeat behavior.
"We see this not just as a local issue, but this is a national issue [ http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121119/news/711199793/ ]," Romanucci said. "We hope to springboard what happened here into making significant policy change all over the country."
The story out of Des Plaines mirrors an incident in California, in which four students were arrested in September as part of a hazing investigation at La Puente High School. Allegations were, similarly, that upperclassmen soccer team members sexually hazed freshman players who were recently promoted to the varsity team [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/la-puente-high-school-hazing-soccer-team_n_1910230.html ].
The alleged abuse occurred in a room next to the coach's office, and a teacher was placed on administrative leave.
"This is deeply disturbing to me and the entire community," Hacienda La Puente Unified Superintendent Barbara Nakaoka said at the time. "We do not and will not turn a blind eye to reports or harassment or hazing."
FAMU Hazing Case: 12 Charged With Manslaughter In Robert Champion's Death
This Nov. 30, 2011 file photo shows a marching band leading a horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket of Florida A&M University band member Robert Champion following his funeral service in Decatur, Ga.
By KYLE HIGHTOWER 03/04/13 11:48 PM ET EST
ORLANDO, Fla. — Twelve former Florida A&M University band members were charged Monday with manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of a drum major.
Ten of the band members had been charged last May with third-degree felony hazing for the death of 26-year-old Robert Champion, but the state attorney's office said they are adding the charge of manslaughter for each defendant. They also have charged two additional defendants with manslaughter, though they have yet to be arrested.
The second-degree manslaughter charge announced during an afternoon status hearing carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Champion died in Orlando in November 2011 after he collapsed following what prosecutors say was a savage beating during a hazing ritual. It happened on a bus parked in a hotel parking lot after Florida A&M played Bethune-Cookman in their annual rivalry football game.
Authorities said Champion had bruises on his chest, arms, shoulder and back and died of internal bleeding. Witnesses told emergency dispatchers that the drum major was vomiting before he was found unresponsive aboard the bus.
Christopher Chestnut, an attorney for Champion's parents, said Pam and Robert Champion, Sr. were pleased with Ashton's decision to upgrade the charges.
"These charges are commensurate with the acts committed," Chestnut said. "It sends the right message regarding zero-tolerance of hazing in the FAMU band."
Prosecutors had originally filed felony hazing charges that only required that they prove the defendants took part in a hazing that resulted in death. It didn't require them to prove who struck the fatal blows.
A spokesman for State Attorney Jeff Ashton's office said the prosecutor would not comment. Ashton, a 30-year veteran who was on the team that failed to convict Casey Anthony of murder in 2011, was sworn in as the area's top prosecutor in January after beating his former boss in a hotly contested election.
David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Miami, said it would be easier to prove felony hazing charges than it would be to prove manslaughter.
"The easy way out is you charge them with felony hazing. That's what they decided to do initially. You're still holding someone accountable," Weinstein said. "Now you have somebody new who comes in, takes a look at the evidence, and for a combination of reasons decides the manslaughter charge is warranted."
Weinstein also said it was not unusual for prosecutors to go ahead with the lesser charge while still gathering evidence and then later upgrade.
Two former band members whose cases were resolved last year weren't among those charged Monday. Brian Jones and Ryan Dean have already been sentenced after pleading no-contest to third-degree felony hazing last year.
Jones was sentenced last October to six months of community control, which strictly limits his freedom with measures including frequent check-ins with probation officials. He also was given two years of probation and required to perform 200 hours of community service.
Dean was sentenced the following month and received four years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
Judge Marc Lubet conferenced with all the attorneys involved before Monday's hearing and said they all agreed that because of a witness list that includes more than 100 people, a June trial date was unlikely.
He has set another status hearing in the case for August.
Since Champion's death FAMU has made sweeping changes to fight hazing. The band remains suspended and there still has not been a time announced for its return. The university is still searching to find a new director for the band.
FAMU's board held an emergency meeting last month to discuss the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Champion family, though there were no final decisions made. Interim FAMU President Larry Robinson said the board was authorized to continue trying for a resolution with the family.
The Champions, who live in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, Ga., claim university officials did not take enough action to stop hazing in the famed Marching 100 band before the death of their son. They rejected a previous offer to settle the case for $300,000.
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