HONOLULU — A Honolulu prep school and former students have settled lawsuits alleging sexual assault by a former girls’ basketball coach.
HONOLULU — A Honolulu prep school and former students have settled lawsuits alleging sexual assault by a former girls’ basketball coach.
Three women filed lawsuits last year alleging the coach abused them when they were student athletes in the mid-2000s. The settlement also includes two anonymous victims.
A joint statement from Punahou School and the women Wednesday didn’t disclose the terms of the settlement. School President Michael Latham did not respond to emailed questions about the settlement, including inquiries about possible payments to the victims or school policy changes that would prevent future sexual abuse and ensure complaints are not ignored by the school, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Allegations in the lawsuits included the school did nothing to protect the girls after they reported the coach to the school.
Attorneys who represented the school and the former coach in the lawsuits didn’t respond to the newspaper’s inquiries.
“Punahou respects the courage of these victims to come forward and hopes that this can begin to provide a path toward healing. The school deeply and profoundly apologizes to these former students for the pain they suffered and welcomes the opportunity to learn from them as it continues its work to ensure the safety of its students,” the statement said.
