New developments in Damascus High School sexual assault case
DAMASCUS, Md. - More than three years after a scandal plagued the Damascus High School community, there are new developments that will affect some families involved.
In October 2018, allegations of assault in Damascus' junior varsity football locker room led to criminal charges against four students.
Families of students who were impacted also filed a civil suit.
A parent advocacy group obtained a December ruling by the judge in the civil case. And FOX 5 has independently obtained a copy as well.
The big picture: The allegation is that one particular student, with a troubled past, was the ringleader in assaults with a broom stick on fellow members of the Junior Varsity football team, according to court documents
The civil suit alleges the district, as well as coaches and school administrators, were negligent in stopping this before it happened.
The judge has dismissed some parts of the case, and allowed others to proceed.
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Some civil charges brought by families against the school board as an entity were dismissed.
The judge ruled that the law, in this case, says a state agency, like the school board, is immune from lawsuits under this particular statute.
Charges against former Principal Casey Crouse, and athletic director Jeffrey Sullivan have also been dismissed.
What was allowed by the judge, however, were civil cases against Crouse and Sullivan to continue as individuals.
The judge cited alleged grand jury testimony Crouse gave that she never reviewed the file of the alleged ringleader of the assault to determine if safeguards were necessary.
It’s also alleged that coaches didn’t go through sensitivity trainings.
The judge denied a request to stay the case, indicating the parts that were not dismissed could continue.
Janis Sartucci, an attorney and advocate for the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County, specifically keeps tabs on allegations of sexual assault in the district.
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She says the allegations by these families that the judge based his opinion on to let parts of the case move forward were troubling. But she believes it speaks to a systematic issue in the district.
"Typically, a lot of these cases are settled out of court, and under seal, so we don’t ever get to hear a lot of what’s gone on to get to this point," Sartucci explained. "In this case, we’re getting to read an opinion that talks about a lot of what went on in 2018."
We did make multiple attempts late tonight to reach the Montgomery County Attorney’s office regarding the judge’s decision.
A spokesman for Montgomery County Schools, when reached for comment, said he wasn’t familiar with the ruling, but would reach out to "system leadership for comment."
It’s unclear tonight if these former coaches and administrators have attorneys that will represent them in their individual capacity as this civil case moves forward.
This is a developing story. Check back with FOX 5 for updates.