June 8, 2010

Third Lawsuit Against Carlsbad Military Academy for Hazing

Carlsbad's Army and Navy Academy is defending another lawsuit filed against it for the alleged hazing of a cadet. The alleged incidents of hazing occurred nearly 10 years ago.

The lawsuit filed in Vista Superior Court is one of three filed against the school in the last two years. It contends that the cadet suffered several instances of ritual group beatings and sadomasochistic hazing, and accuses the academy, a boarding school, of failing to protect its young cadets. The delay in the filing of the suit, the complaint alleges, was that the plaintiff suffered years of mental, emotional, and psychological problems that stem from his stay at the academy.

The president of the academy, retired Army Gen. Stephen Bliss, told the Union Tribune that his school has strict standards of conduct, and abuse of cadets is not tolerated and is quickly addressed.

In March of 2008 another lawsuit was filed against the school alleging similar instances of violence. In that case, the cadet alleges he was sodomized with a broomstick. The case is set for trial in September.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

The Carlsbad injury and accident attorneys at Walton Law Firm represent individuals and families who have been impacted or injured by the negligence and intentional conduct of others. Call (760) 571-5500 for a free and confidential consultation.

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Posted In: San Diego Personal Injury , School Injuries

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January 27, 2009

Liability of Coaches for Injury or Death of Players

Yesterday, a well-known Kentucky high school football coach was charged with reckless homicide in the heat-related death of one of his players. The player, 15-year-old Max Gilpin, collapsed during an August practice, and died three days later. According to the allegations, Gilpin's body temperature reached 107 degrees and witnesses said that coach Jason Stinson denied the boy water.

Interestingly, the day after Stinson was charged with a crime, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decided Davis v. Carter, a case eerily similar to Stinson's. In Davis, the parents of a high school football player brought suit against three coaches for violation of the player's constitutional rights, as well as causes of action in tort (presumably wrongful death). The player died after the coaches allegedly ignored signs of dehydration, and for denying the player water during a practice.

The coaches contended that they were entitled to qualified immunity, and that their conduct did not rise to the level of a violation of constitutional rights. Ultimately, court agreed.

In it's ruling, the 11th Circuit held:

In this school setting case, the complaint’s allegations of deliberate indifference, without more, do not rise to the conscience-shocking level required for a constitutional violation. While the circumstances of this case are truly unfortunate, Plaintiffs’ claims are properly confined to the realm of torts.

This case may bode well for Stinson in his Kentucky case. While not directly on point, the Davis case states that since the student voluntarily participated in the activity, the coach didn't engage in corporal punishment or physically contact the student, the conduct does not rise to the level of a willful or malicious intent to cause harm that would be need for a constitutional violation.

While the ruling relieved the coaches of constitutional claims, it did not relieve them of tort claims, such as negligence and wrongful death. In California, it has long been held that coaches and schools can be held liable for injuries to students if the coaches or schools created conditions likely to cause harm.

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Posted In: Personal Injury , School Injuries

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