A high-profile civil lawsuit filed Feb. 27 in Los Angeles claims Harvard‑Westlake School let a pattern of sexual assaults fester inside its boys' water polo program and then punished students who tried to speak up. The complaint, brought by the mother of a Black student, alleges that school officials and coaches failed to protect players and kept key information from parents and authorities.
What the complaint says
The suit names student Lucca van der Woude, Harvard‑Westlake, head coach Jack Grover, and school president Richard B. Commons as defendants. It alleges that van der Woude repeatedly sexually assaulted teammates beginning in 2022, according to the Orange County Register. The complaint also says school officials did not alert law enforcement or child-protective services after students reported assaults, and that some players who complained were met with retaliation.
According to court records cited in the complaint, van der Woude was arrested on Harvard‑Westlake’s campus in February 2024 and later admitted in juvenile court to aggravated sexual battery, the Orange County Register reports. Daniel Watkins, an attorney for one of the alleged victims, said in a statement quoted by the paper that “the truth is laid bare in the complaint, unvarnished, unflinching, undeniable. We welcome our day in court.”
Sport bodies and SafeSport records
The filings also raise questions about oversight by national governing bodies. According to the complaint, the U.S. Center for SafeSport was notified of allegations in April 2024, yet van der Woude continued to receive invitations to USA Water Polo events as a participant or mentor afterward. That timeline, and the role of USA Water Polo in allowing mentoring or camp appearances, was detailed in reporting and commentary on the case by the Daily Bruin.
Transfers and eligibility questions
The case has also put a spotlight on high school transfer rules and whether athletic eligibility procedures were properly followed when the player changed schools. Under CIF Southern Section policies, athletes can gain immediate eligibility after a “valid change of residence,” but transfers that stem from disciplinary action are barred, criteria that have drawn extra attention to the circumstances surrounding the athlete’s move, according to the CIF Southern Section.
Harvard‑Westlake’s public stance
In its public materials, Harvard‑Westlake stresses commitments to student safety, inclusion, and compliance with reporting obligations. The school’s website highlights non-discrimination language and student-welfare policies that emphasize protections for young people, as laid out by Harvard‑Westlake. Those statements are sharply at odds with the lawsuit’s allegation that administrators failed to notify parents and outside agencies after students reported abuse.
Legal context
Under California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, school employees and many other adults who work with children are mandated reporters and must contact law enforcement or child-protective agencies when they know of or reasonably suspect abuse. Failing to report as required can be a misdemeanor and can bring civil and criminal consequences, forming part of the legal backdrop for the suit’s claim that school staff did not act on reports, according to the California Dept of Education.
What’s next
The lawsuit is still in its early stages. The complaint asks the court to hold the named individuals and the school responsible and to address the harm the plaintiffs say students suffered. Attorneys for the plaintiffs have said they welcome a full court process, while school officials and their lawyers are expected to lay out their responses in upcoming filings as the case moves forward.
