What to do if I sent my daughter away to college and her coach sexually assaulted her?
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What to do if I sent my daughter away to college and her coach sexually assaulted her?
He has since been arrested. Can i sue the coach, school, or both? If so, what is the way way to proceed? Should I speak to a personal injury attorney?
Asked on November 9, 2010 under Personal Injury, Maryland
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Definitely speak with a personal injury attorney. You should definitely be able to sue the coach, as the person who assaulted yoru daughter. You *may* also be able to sue the school. The college's liability will depend upon whether it did anything wrong. If it did not screen the coach properly upon hiring, for example, that might constitute negligent hiring. If there were any warning signings (e.g. prior complaints by other students) against this coach before the attack on your daughter, they could be liable for their failure to take action against him. They could potentially also be liable if they had an improper, weak, or no sexual harassment/abuse/nonfraternization policy and that contributed to the attack, as they could potentially be liable if the attack happened in some place due to inadequate lighting or monitoring (allowing the attack to take place in a location which should otherwise have been public or safe). It depends on the circumstances, and is worth discussing with an atttorney.
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