A harrowing saga of high school hazing has reached a legal conclusion, as a former Proctor High School football player who fell victim to a sexual assault at the hands of his teammates has settled his lawsuit with the school district. The assault, which occurred back in 2021 and led to the cancellation of the school's football season, involved the then-15-year-old being overpowered and assaulted with a wooden plunger handle, according to MPR News.
The details surrounding the settlement were not made public, but court documents revealed that the victim, now 18, will begin to receive a portion of the money in monthly installments over the next decade. This confidential agreement will also allocate a substantial third of the funds to cover attorney fees. The exact terms were approved last week by U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell, and while the school has opted to maintain silence regarding the matter, a statement from Proctor Public Schools Superintendent Kerry Juntunen echoed this silence, stating that "The School District will not be responding to the lawsuit through statements to the media; the forum for that is the judicial process," CBS News Minnesota reports.
The legal action was initiated after the victim's parents alleged that the onslaught was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a "prevalent practice" of hazing within the football program, including coaches and the superintendent, were accused of failing to address despite being aware of it. The lawsuit highlighted the severe impact the incident had on the young victim, who suffered from "severe emotional distress, anxiety stress, and fear of school environment," and was initially seeking $75,000 in damages.
The perpetrator, Alec John Baney, was 17 at the time of the assault and has since admitted his guilt in juvenile court, pleading guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He has been sentenced to supervised probation until early 2025 and will have to register as a predatory offender for ten years. No other students have been charged in connection with the assault.
