SAN JOSE - An anonymous former student sued the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District and two former track coaches for alleged child sex abuse, according to documents filed on Jan. 26 in the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The plaintiff was a student and athlete at the school from 1998 through 2001, when defendant Chioke Robinson was the girls' sprinting and running coach. Robinson is accused of sexually abusing the plaintiff starting when she was 14 all throughout her high school career, including kissing, oral sex and sexual intercourse.
The lawsuit says that former girls' track head coach Willie Harmatz defended Robinson, allegedly having driven to the home of a student who told Los Gatos Police Department investigators that she witnessed the abuse to threaten her if she did not stop speaking about the abuse.
Harmatz threatened to take away another athlete's scholarship if she disclosed her experiences with Robinson, and told the current principal that she was making a mistake in terminating Robinson due to the allegations, the suit claims.
The plaintiff is suing for sexual abuse of a minor and negligence of district employees. She requests general and punitive damages from the defendants and litigation fees. She is represented by Corsiglia, McMahon and Allard LLP.