A star pupil water polo participant racially abused a black teammate and subjected him to a months-long marketing campaign of sexual assault at their $50,000-a-year LA non-public faculty, in line with a brand new lawsuit.
Lucca van der Woude known as Aidan Romain, each now 18, racial slurs each day, whipped him with ropes, and made slavery references, whereas additionally digitally penetrating him on campus, in line with the authorized criticism filed towards van der Woude, Harvard-Westlake College, faculty president Richard B Commons, and water polo coach Jack Grover.
The lawsuit, filed Friday at Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom, alleges van der Woude and two different teammates repeatedly subjected Romain, who was a minor on the time, to racist and sexual abuse between August 2022 and February 2024.
Van der Woude, who was named the Orange County participant of the 12 months by the Orange County Every day Register in December 2024 and was a UCLA commit, was unable to be reached for remark, and no attorneys for him are listed within the lawsuit.
The California Put up approached van der Woude’s household and most up-to-date water polo coach for remark, however didn’t instantly hear again. Grover and Commons additionally didn’t reply instantly to requests for remark.
Harvard-Westlake, which has annual charges of $52,500, allegedly did not report, examine, or take protecting measures after being informed concerning the reported abuse, in line with the lawsuit.
Van der Woude and a teammate “always dehumanized” Romain by a brief type of the slur ‘n—–r’ … nearly each single day for 5 months,” the lawsuit states.
Romain’s alleged nightmare began on the primary day of follow when he was 14, and the one freshman known as as much as play with the varsity water polo staff, he wrote in an affect assertion.
The alleged abuse, which included jokes that Romain was the staff’s “secret weapon” throughout night time video games as a result of his pores and skin was too darkish for opponents to see, usually occurred in entrance of Harvard-Westlake workers with none motion being taken, in line with the lawsuit.
On March 29, 2023, Romain’s mom met with the water polo staff’s head coach, Grover, who “appeared sympathetic,” in line with the submitting.
“He [Grover] promised to maintain Plaintiff protected and to guard him shifting ahead,” the go well with states.
Van der Woude additionally allegedly sexually abused one other pupil within the faculty pool by “digitally penetrating him underwater,” in line with the lawsuit.
Romain’s attorneys declare Harvard-Westlake’s alleged failure to clamp down on the abuse led to an escalation.
Van der Woude allegedly “digitally penetrated Plaintiff for the ultimate time in roughly January 2024, as Plaintiff was strolling up a flight of stairs on Harvard-Westlake’s campus,” the go well with states, including that this wasn’t the one time he had assaulted Romain on faculty grounds in entrance of different classmates.
“In February 2024, after water polo follow, a second teammate cornered Plaintiff within the campus out of doors showers and brutally attacked him – grabbing his penis and putting him repeatedly within the testicles over a perceived verbal slight,” the go well with states.
When Romain reported the assault within the showers, the lawsuit states he was punished by being “demoted, remoted, and suspended,” inflicting him to overlook 4 video games.
Simply two weeks later, round Feb. 28, 2024, van der Woude was arrested on campus throughout faculty hours for sexual assault, the Orange County Register reported.
Regardless of a number of allegations towards van der Woude from Romain and the second pupil, the lawsuit alleges that Harvard-Westlake coated up his disciplinary document and allowed him to switch to Newport Harbor Excessive College in Newport Seaside within the Fall of 2024, enabling him to proceed taking part in water polo.
Van der Woude “admitted in Los Angeles County Juvenile Division Courtroom … to sexual penetration with a overseas object (digital penetration) towards a minor,” on Nov. 7, 2024, as a part of a plea settlement with prosecutors, the Orange County Register beforehand reported.
The courtroom declared him a ward and issued a no-contact order with Romain as a part of his probationary situations.
The go well with alleges the extreme emotional misery compelled Romain to relocate to Barcelona, Spain, in 2024 to proceed his water polo coaching in a protected atmosphere.
Van de Woude went on to characterize Staff USA internationally and mentored the nation’s prime 13 and 14-year-old gamers at a camp sponsored by USA Water Polo at a prestigious Olympic coaching web site, the Southern California Information Group reported in March 2025.
UCLA revoked his dedication as a result of his authorized points, however he was most just lately listed on the 2025-26 roster for Golden West School’s water polo staff.
Golden West School, in Huntington Seaside, didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
