Ursuline High School sued in federal court over alleged hazing, sexual assault at team camp
Complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio says a freshman was 'violently assaulted' during a nine-day football trip through Florida, Tennessee and Alabama
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio, of failing to stop hazing and sexual assault of a freshman football player during a nine-day team camp in June.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, names Ursuline High School as a defendant and also lists several school officials, football coaches, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown and unnamed players and parents. The plaintiff, who is not identified in the court filing, is described as a freshman on the school’s football team.
According to a press release from The Chandra Law Firm, which represents the student’s mother and her daughter, the lawsuit alleges the boy was "violently assaulted" while attending the nine-day camp that traveled through Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. The filing characterizes the alleged conduct as hazing and sexual assault and brings federal civil rights claims on that basis.
The complaint seeks relief in federal court; it was filed Tuesday in Youngstown’s federal court division. The lawsuit names a mixture of institutional and individual defendants and includes unspecified allegations against unnamed players and parents who attended or accompanied the trip, according to the filing.
The filing does not identify the student by name. It also does not provide details in the press release about medical treatment, the specific acts alleged, or the remedies sought, beyond invoking federal civil rights statutes. The Chandra Law Firm provided the press release summarizing the claims and the route of the camp.
The case joins a series of legal actions in recent years that have drawn attention to hazing, sexual misconduct and safety oversight in high school athletics. Federal civil rights claims in such suits typically allege that institutions or officials violated constitutional or statutory protections by failing to prevent or address known or foreseeable misconduct.
The lawsuit is now pending before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Court records will reflect next steps in the litigation, including any motions, scheduling orders or responses from the named defendants. The filing of a complaint does not constitute a finding of liability; allegations in the complaint remain to be adjudicated in court.
Further procedural developments, including any statements from Ursuline High School, the Diocese of Youngstown or the named coaches and officials, are expected to appear on the court docket as the case proceeds. The lawsuit underscores ongoing concerns about athlete safety and institutional responsibility within scholastic sports programs.