Posted on 02/12/2014 12:25:22 PM PST by BenLurkin
WESTLAKE VILLAGE (CBSLA.com) — The family of a Ventura County high school senior threatened a lawsuit and action with the state department of education Wednesday after their son was suspended for confronting a football player who allegedly sexually harassed his 15-year-old sister.
Dominic Conti, 17, was suspended from Westlake High School for five days following an incident at a football game on October 11, 2013.
Conti, until his suspension, was also the WHS senior class president, an elected position that he was subsequently removed from. He was also banned from all extracurricular activities.
“There is a bully in this community, and that bully is Westlake High,” Conti family attorney Manny Madrano said at a news conference outside the school Wednesday.
The Contis claim that the school’s alleged protection of their top-ranked football program is “more important that preventing sexual harassment.”
The family wants an apology from the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Dominic’s suspension removed from his record and his post back as class president.
The CVUSD board has reportedly refused to hear their case and now the Conti’s plan to take it to the California Department of Education.
If no resolution comes from the state level, the family plans to file a lawsuit against WHS principal, Ron Lipari, for defamation and disclosing personal information about Dominic.
“I’m a victim of sexual harassment,” said Conti’s sister, who claims the player had said vulgar comments to her on at least three occasions. “And you know what, it is not okay.”
According to the family, several complaints had been made to administrators about the freshman player’s conduct prior to the Oct. 11 incident.
Dominic, his father, Lawrence, and a school security guard confronted the boy at a game that night in an attempt to “escort the player to school administration after he again sexually harassed the girl,” a statement said.
“That’s when [the player] lunged at me and my dad and he threw a punch. In self defense, I pushed down his arm,” he said.
Dominic, a 4.4 GPA student, insists he never threw a punch at the football player and explained to the principal that he only acted in self-defense.
“I looked him in the eye and I said, ‘Mr. Lipari, I do not regret protecting my sister,’” Dominic said.
The family also filed a harassment claim and requested a restraining order against the football player in October.
The player has filed the same legal action against Lawrence and Dominic Conti.
All cases are scheduled to return to court in April.
In August, the Westlake Warriors were at the center of an alleged hazing incident involving freshman and senior players when the team traveled to Hawaii for a game.
One student was arrested for third degree sexual assault after a parent complained to police in Honolulu, but charges were never filed.
Then I hope the school board votes to take their insurance premium increase right out of the administration's pension fund.
You can’t really decide this without knowing
a) what the player said to the sister and
b) the nature of the confrontation between the two male students.
Seriously, who said what to who and how did the confrontation take place? For all we know, the girl was making things up to get attention and provoked the males into doing what males are going to do. This is high school, after all.
Figures. Some folks think that football is important and hence its players are ‘above the law’. I have seen this over and over again.
I hope this big brother wins his law suit.
And for all those football fans out there save it. I enjoy the game but it is just a game.
That’s right go with old go to that football defenders always go to.... you don’t what SHE said.
I find it fascinating that the first thing some folks want to do is blame someone who is a victim.
And don’t bother saying it happens all the time. It does not. What happens more often is that football players are given a pass and then no one talks about it because they don’t want to have people upset with them. Athletes should not get a pass for their bad behavior.
seriously - did you even read it?
Dominic, his father, Lawrence, and a school security guard confronted the boy at a game that night in an attempt to “escort the player to school administration after he again sexually harassed the girl,” a statement said.
” For all we know, the girl was making things up “
We do not know that.
Locally at least 3 football players have been given a pass for separate sexual assaults of a 14 year old and a 15 year old. All of this is to keep the precious football program intact. I think it is outrageous. BTW, these were inter-racial incidents as well, and the football players were recruited to come to our high school from the inner city.
Well, the school violated privacy laws so you’ll have enough money to start a real nice company.
I’d shoulder check that poosy and let him take that first predictable swing and knock him out if someone was messing with my sister.
Oh wait, two guys messed with my sister both got knocked on their butt and one lost a tooth or it was chipped real bad for years anyway.
Gave me the heebie jeebies when he smiled.
Years later I asked him if on a cold day, when he smiled if it hurt .
Might have made him upset or something.
He sure walked away real quick like.
Punk.
No one messes with my sister.
Why would the school board refuse to hear the case?
A 5 day suspension in this day and age of NO suspensions plus removal as class president surely merits a review by the school board.
This is a pretty conservative area and if it comes out that the allegations of sexual harassment are true, every member of the school board needs to be recalled immediately.
Good for the family for hiring a private lawyer, Manny Madrano to hold the school board, coach and student responsible for their actions.
For all we know, you champion every losing cause that comes along.
We had to confront our school about the right to self defense. The principal's head went spinning until we threatened them with a suit and that he'd better check with the school's attorney. A child has just as much right to protect himself as a adult does. Amazing how quickly the principal changed his tune after a short talk with their attorney.
How times have changed. It use to be a fight behind the bleachers and that ended it.
Or a father met the kid after practice and told him what would happen if he harassed his daughter again. That worked in our case.
Seriously, I did. Do you believe every teenager who claims sexual harassment? What exactly did he do or say?? The definition of "sexual harassment" is large enough to drive a school bus through. Details are needed that this report does not give.
He could be guilty as hell but I need to know what happened before determining that. It's called "due process". You may want to look it up.
You're correct. I'm a Republican.
I have no idea who is telling the truth. All I can tell is that the sister is claiming “sexual harassment”. Having lived through the Clinton years, I know that can mean damned near anything.
She then tells Daddy and big brother who decide to defend the honor of little sister. A confrontation happens. Punches fly.
But over what? Was he asking her out? Did he leer at her? Did he make comments about her anatomy? Did he try to have sex with her? Why is the contention only “harassment” and not “sexual assault”?
Jocks are jocks and sometimes they do act above the law and sometimes they do get away with things because they are jocks. I need no convincing of this.
But what exactly did he say or do? Are there any witnesses or is it simply “he said” and “she said”? Whatever the truth is would determine whether the subsequent actions were justifiable or not.
My son and daughter are one year apart in age. In high school, my son heard some punk make an sexual remark about my daughter’s chest and my son, wrapped his hands around said punk’s neck and swung him out over the balcony. The English teacher asked my son to put the punk down in a safe manner and that was that.
The schools are out of control.
No, that's all you wanted to conclude.
On an aside, I wondered if the player were a minority and went looking for a photo (I then watched the video at BenLurkin's link...the player is black, according to the black male witness). Personally, I'm more outraged that the school district permits Freshman Rosters with Full Names & pictures than I am about how the school handled it. But that's just me.
Take your pick at the link; the black freshman player in question is likely on that Roster, fwiw...
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