Dist. 207 settles soccer hazing lawsuit for $1 million
Five former Maine West High School students will receive a total of $1 million as part of a settlement reached Tuesday in their lawsuit stemming from allegations of hazing and assault among members of the school's boys soccer team.
Each student will receive $200,000 from the settlement, which ends nearly four years of litigation over claims the plaintiffs were victims of hazing rituals conducted by older members of the boys soccer team. Among the allegations was that one student was sexually assaulted by fellow soccer players on school property.
Defendants in the lawsuit included the school, Maine Township High School District 207 and several coaches.
A statement issued Tuesday by the plaintiffs' attorneys says both sides decided it was mutually beneficial to put the lawsuit behind them.
"We applaud the board of education, along with District 207 and Maine West administrators, who handled the hazing allegations and reports seriously from the time they were made," attorney Antonio M. Romanucci said.
"The children involved in this experience, along with their families, are happy that they have been able to put this chapter of their lives behind them. As they are now all adults, they are concentrating on their college studies, careers and bright futures."
The District 207 board issued a statement Tuesday noting the district and its administrators continue to deny any wrongdoing related to the allegations in the lawsuit. The settlement was directed by the district's insurers, and under the terms of the deal there's no admission or finding of wrongdoing by the district and its coaches.
"From the time the hazing allegations were made, the board of education, along with District 207 and Maine West administrators, took the allegations and reports seriously," the statement reads. "The board disciplined the student perpetrators and initiated proceedings against the two teachers/coaches named in the lawsuit which resulted in termination of their employment with the district."
The district says the settlement will avoid the costs of taking the case to trial and spare students, former students and staff members from having to testify.
"The settlement will bring to closure a matter that has weighed heavily on the entire community since 2012 and is, in the judgment of the board, in the best of interests of all involved," the statement reads.
Soccer coaches Michael Divincenzo and Emilio Rodriguez were fired after the allegations surfaced in 2012. Divincenzo also was charged with hazing and misdemeanor battery, but a Cook County judge acquitted him after a trial in 2014.
Six students were charged as juveniles with battery and hazing, but none were charged with sexual assault.