A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that a star player on the Harvard-Westlake High School water polo team repeatedly sexually assaulted a younger teammate, regularly referred to him using racial slurs and that a coach and administrators who were notified of the behavior did nothing to stop it.
As reported by KTLA in Los Angeles, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Aidan Romain, who was just 14 years old when he started playing for the team as a freshman, and another teammate. Romain, now 18, was one of the few Black players on the school’s team and was also involved with the USA Water Polo’s national team development program, KTLA's Josh DuBose reported.
The suit alleges that starting with Romain’s first practice at one of L.A.’s most elite private schools in August 2022, he was digitally penetrated by teammate Lucca van der Woude, an older player who at the time who was widely thought of as a top Olympic prospect in American water polo, according to KTLA, citing a report in The Orange County Register.
The sexual assaults, according to the complaint, regularly occurred along with Romain being called the N-word on a daily basis through February 2024.
The suit is filed against van der Woude, as well as Harvard-Westlake School's president and water polo coach.
“Time and time again, on Harvard-Westlake’s campus – in its pool and elsewhere – Lucca Van Der Woude approached Plaintiff from behind to ambush and digitally penetrate him,” attorney Daniel Watkins wrote on page two of the complaint. “Plaintiff reported this abuse to Harvard-Westlake immediately after learning that Lucca van Der Woude was assaulting another teammate. But Harvard-Westlake did nothing. It took none of the steps that the school – as a mandated reporter of child abuse – was legally required to take.”
In one instance, lawyers allege that van der Woude and another student, Connor Kim, whipped Romain in the weight room in a re-enactment of slavery.
“They taunted him with racial slurs, calling him a [N-word] nearly every day for approximately five months. When Connor Kim and Lucca van Der Woude were questioned by the school, both admitted it,” the complaint states, according to KTLA. “Harvard-Westlake still failed to take necessary steps to protect Plaintiff.”
An attorney representing Kim released a statement clarifying that Kim is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
“The statements made in the complaint about Connor Kim are false," attorney Lillian Chu said. "Although Connor is not a named defendant in this case, it’s important to point out that these claims and the assertion that he admitted to wrongdoing are simply not true.”
In 2024, van der Woude was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers on campus for suspicion of sexual assault and was subsequently banned from school grounds and prohibited from playing water polo for Harvard-Westlake.
“As part of its cover-up, the school worked hand-in-hand with Lucca van Der Woude and his family to transfer him to Newport Harbor High School the very next semester with a clean record, as if nothing had ever happened and he had committed no crimes,” the complaint continued.
In November 2024, van der Woude admitted in L.A. County Juvenile Division Court to sexual penetration with a foreign object against a minor, court documents obtained by The Orange County Register showed, per DuBose's KTLA report.
Despite his arrest and confession, he was allowed to play for Newport Harbor’s water polo team, represent Team USA abroad and mentor standout 13- and 14-year-old players at a USA Water Polo-sponsored camp at one of the most prestigious Olympic training facilities in the country in December 2024.
Defending NCAA water polo champion UCLA withdrew its scholarship offer to van der Woude after a report published by The Orange County Register outlining the accusations and legal case against him, KTLA reported.
Upon KTLA's request, school officials provided the following statement:
“Harvard-Westlake will not offer specific comment other than to say that it unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions. The school treated reports of inappropriate behavior in its water polo program with urgency and seriousness, promptly initiating an investigation and complying with its mandatory reporting obligations. The school also cooperated completely with law enforcement.”
