Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles is at the center of a lawsuit from a former student-athlete who alleged he was sexually assaulted and harassed for years, but school administrators did nothing to stop the behavior.
According to Swim Swam, Aidan Romain filed the lawsuit against Harvard-Westlake School, school president Richard Commons, head water polo coach Jack Grover and teammate Lucca van der Woude.
Romain is seeking unspecified damages and an “injunction ordering Harvard-Westlake to take steps to prevent any current or future students from dealing with sexual abuse.”
“Despite repeated, direct disclosures of sexual assault, the school failed to report the abuse, failed to remove the perpetrator and instead retaliated against the victim,” the complaint says.
Related: Elite California Prep School Accused of Covering Up Sexual Assault, Racism in Water Polo Program
Romain and his family said they reported the abuse several times, but the school minimized the abuse and protected van der Woude. According to Romain, van der Woude “digitally penetrated him repeatedly and called him the N-word.” That abuse began when Romain was only 14 and continued for two years.
After reporting the abuse to police in 2024, van der Woude was arrested on school property and admitted to the abuse. At the time, he was ordered to pay $49,000 to cover Romain’s legal fees.
“Part of the reason why I’m speaking up and standing up for myself is so that others don’t have to be in these kinds of situations,” said Romain.
“Harvard-Westlake will not offer specific comment other than to say that it unequivocally disputes many of the allegations in the lawsuit because they mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions,” the school said in a statement. “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.”
