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Damascus high school sexual assault case moved to federal court
A lawsuit alleging that four minors were subjected to sexual assaults in a Damascus High School football locker room has been moved to federal court.
DAMASCUS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A lawsuit alleging that four minors were subjected to sexual assaults in a Damascus High School football locker room has been moved to federal court.
The case – which was filed in February 2020 – names a number of school administrators and coaches.
READ MORE: New lawsuits allege 4 minors victims of 'vicious sexual assaults' at Damascus High School
According to the lawsuit, the four minors were victims of "vicious sexual assaults occurring in the unsupervised football locker room" in both 2017 and 2018.
The 2017 allegations emerged in the new lawsuit.
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The lawsuit says defendants knew about the sex assaults at "Damascus and other high schools" prior to October 2018 incident.
The case was moved to federal court after lawyers filed an amendment in January claiming that the Montgomery County Board of Education violated Title IX.
READ MORE: Damascus High School head football coach resigns
According to filing:
This Court has original federal jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, in that Plaintiffs are alleging a violation of their
rights under federal law; namely, that their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and 20 U.S.C. § 1681 were violated.
The case grew out of an initial criminal complaint against a number of football players who were allegedly involved in a "brooming" incident in the locker room.
The lawsuit says defendants knew about the sex assaults at "Damascus and other high schools" prior to October 2018 incident.
The lawsuit further alleges that "despite notification from parents and concerned adults, officials at Damascus permitted the longstanding ritual to continue."