A former Pomona Excessive College pupil who mentioned she was raped at age 16 by her coach was awarded $35 million in damages Tuesday by a Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom jury.
The girl is certainly one of eight within the final two years who’ve sued the Pomona Unified College District and a handful of males who coached at Pomona Excessive College — a few of whom are nonetheless teaching at different colleges. Their allegations have included sexual grooming, sexual abuse and rape.
The girl is now in her 40s and was recognized in court docket paperwork as Jane Doe No. 4. The plaintiff mentioned she was raped by her former coach, Herman Hopson, in 1997 whereas at a faculty observe and area meet in Nevada.
Others to have been sued embody Brian Crichlow, now girls’s basketball coach at Mt. San Antonio School in Walnut; Derrick Pugh; and one-time Pomona Ganesha Excessive women’ basketball coach Vincent Spirlin.
Their accusers — former cheerleaders, college students and pupil athletes — have alleged that, in incidents within the Nineteen Nineties, the boys took them into their confidence, frolicked with them and shared private tales, typically brazenly flirting and fascinating in sexually charged speak.
These actions, they are saying, ultimately led to underage alcohol utilization inspired and facilitated by the coaches, in addition to sexual abuse and, within the case of Jane Doe No. 4, rape.
“It’s simply nuts the variety of the ladies who’ve filed claims in opposition to these males, these coaches,” mentioned lawyer John Taylor, of Manhattan Seashore-based Taylor & Ring, who represents Jane Doe No. 4. “Probably the most unbelievable factor all through these trials is the braveness of those girls. It’s been brutal for them.”
Jane Doe No. 4 was a member of the Pomona Excessive College observe and area group in spring 2017 when the squad traveled to Las Vegas for a meet. She argued with Kitrick Taylor, a former NFL participant who was head coach of the group, over some side of the meet on the evening earlier than the group was to return dwelling to L.A. County.
Hopson, an assistant coach, really useful that Jane Doe No. 4 go to him in his room on the Days Inn Motel to debate the difficulty, based on court docket paperwork.
Within the room, an inebriated Hopson kissed the teen, eliminated her garments and compelled himself on her, based on the paperwork. Hopson first penetrated Jane Doe No. 4 together with his fingers earlier than utilizing his genitals, the paperwork say.
Upon the group’s return dwelling, Jane Doe No. 4 reported the incident to the college’s principal, Gloria Russo, court docket paperwork say. She was informed by Russo to “communicate to nobody about this” and that the administrator would “handle it.”
However Jane Doe No. 4 mentioned she was subsequently subjected to verbal harassment by Kitrick Taylor in addition to by classmates and teammates.
“Former Pomona Excessive college students testified that the abuse was so rampant,” mentioned lawyer John Taylor, “that ‘everybody on the campus knew’ that women had been being taken benefit of by coaches, but nothing was achieved.”
Because of the alleged harassment, Jane Doe No. 4 moved out of state on the finish of the college yr.
Kitrick Taylor was not questioned by police, nor was he disciplined for his actions, based on court docket paperwork.
John Taylor mentioned that, previous to the lawsuits, not one of the coaches confronted penalties. No legal costs had been filed in opposition to the boys. The lawyer mentioned Spirlin was nonetheless working within the college district. Public information confirmed that Spirlin was nonetheless employed by Pomona Unified as of 2022.
Calls and an e-mail despatched to the district on Tuesday in search of remark weren’t instantly returned.
Pomona Unified Supt. Darren Knowles issued an announcement on Tuesday saying that the present administration solely grew to become conscious of the allegations from the Nineteen Nineties in 2018.
“Upon receipt of this data, we instantly contacted legislation enforcement, and a full investigation was carried out,” he mentioned. “Regulation enforcement determined to not prosecute.”
Knowles mentioned the college carried out coaching and pupil safeguards that embody annual necessary reporter coaching, coaching for directors on easy methods to forestall sexual grooming and enhanced monitoring of athletic and exercise packages and administrators.
Taylor, the lawyer, mentioned the measures had been too late to avoid wasting his plaintiffs.
“Directors and personnel had been conscious of the grooming and sexually abusive conduct of a number of coaches, together with Herman Hopson,” he mentioned.
Jane Doe No. 4’s verdict is the primary monetary settlement publicly disclosed. Jane Doe Nos. 1, 2 and eight beforehand settled lawsuits with the district. Jane Doe No. 3 additionally settled on Jan. 16, based on Taylor.
Lawsuits for Jane Doe Nos. 5, 6 and seven are nonetheless pending.
