Home » Santa Clarita News » Education » William S. Hart Union School District » Lawsuit Filed Against Hart District, Basketball Coach Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

Lawsuit Filed Against Hart District, Basketball Coach Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

A lawsuit has been filed against the William S. Hart Union High School District and a former Canyon High School basketball coach, alleging four years of sexual abuse of a student.

The suit, on behalf of an unidentified victim who was a minor at the time of the reported abuse, is against the Hart District, Coach Jeremy Haggerty and 60 other unnamed defendants.

When KHTS reached out to district officials for a statement, Dave Caldwell, spokesperson for the Hart District, said, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”

Haggerty was arrested on multiple counts of sexual abuse and pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2018.

The Lawsuit

In addition to Haggerty and the Hart District, 60 other defendants, only identified as “John Does,” were named in the suit.

Out of the 60 unnamed defendants, 30 “employees and agents” of the Hart District had the responsibility of supervising children.

The remaining 30 defendants in the lawsuit are individuals, businesses, corporations and other entities who had a “legal duty of care” to the victim of the abuse, according to the lawsuit.

“The school district and high school coaching staff were aware of Haggerty’s inappropriate behavior with (the plaintiff), yet they allowed multiple years of abuse to continue,” said Lead Counsel Dave Ring. “Sadly, our client will suffer emotional and physical effects for the rest of his life, and we intend to hold the school accountable for this.”

The Allegations

The plaintiff entered Canyon High School as a freshman during the 2009-2010 school year and played on the high school’s freshman basketball team, where Haggerty was a coach and trainer.

Haggerty allegedly quickly started grooming the boy by discussing adult topics under the guise of “sex education,” according to the suit.

See Related: Santa Clarita Basketball Coach Returns To Court On Child Molestation Charges

During his freshman basketball season, the plaintiff injured his hip and Haggerty allegedly used the opportunity to repeatedly take the boy to the locker room alone, have him remove his clothes and wrap his groin to “treat” his hip injury, the lawsuit said.

In addition to coaching the freshman basketball team, Haggerty was an assistant coach for the
varsity team.

When the plaintiff entered his sophomore year, Haggerty appointed him team manager of the varsity team, reportedly forcing him to attend almost every game and practice. During this time, Haggerty continued to “wrap” the plaintiff, and the abuse escalated to massages and eventually sexual contact, according to the lawsuit.

The District Policy

The Hart District has a policy for reporting sexual abuse, but the lawsuit alleges the district failed to report the abuse after the first incident occurred in 2009.

“District employees shall report known or suspected incidences of child abuse in accordance with district regulations and state law. Employees shall fully cooperate with the child protective agencies responsible for reporting, investigating and prosecuting cases of child abuse,” according to board policy.

“Virtually all school employees” of the Hart District are mandated reporters, meaning they are required to report any child abuse, the policy said.

Teachers, administrators, coaches, supervisors of child welfare, certificated pupil personnel employees, employees of child care institutions, school psychologists, licensed nurses and counselors are trained in child abuse reporting, according to the Hart District.

All persons who are mandated reporters are required by law to report all known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect, according to the California Department of Education (CDE).

To report known or suspected child abuse, any employee, as defined above, is required to report by telephone to the local child protective agency, according to board policy.

The Charges

During the plaintiff’s senior year in 2013, a new varsity basketball coach was hired and Haggerty was dismissed from the boys’ basketball program for unknown reasons.

In September 2018, Haggerty was criminally charged with committing sexual crimes on multiple boys, including the plaintiff.

Haggerty faces 14 criminal charges, including eight counts of sexual battery, five counts of lewd act upon a child and one count of attempted lewd act upon a child, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

See Related: Former Trinity, William S. Hart School District Basketball Coach Arrested On Child Molestation Charges

“Over the course of nearly a decade, Haggerty is accused of sexually assaulting eight victims who ranged in age between 14 and 17 years old,” said district attorney officials at the time of the arrest.

According to his most recent “coach’s biography” that was found on the Valencia High School basketball website, Haggerty either coached or assisted at: Canyon High School, Golden Valley High School, Renaissance Academy, Saugus High School, Trinity Classical Academy, Valencia High School and West Ranch High School.

Haggerty is set to return to court on Feb. 22 for an arraignment hearing for the criminal charges.


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Lawsuit Filed Against Hart District, Basketball Coach Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.