A New Jersey teacher and girls' basketball coach is suing a former student-athlete and her family claiming they spread false accusations online that severely damaged his reputation and cost him his coaching career.
As reported by nj.com, Daniel Torsiello, a Central Regional High School history teacher who coached the girls' varsity basketball team for the past five seasons, filed the complaint earlier this month in Ocean County Superior Court. The lawsuit, obtained by nj.com, claims Torsiello suffered “severe and irreparable harm” after explicit images and screenshots allegedly circulated among students and on social media in January suggested that he had an inappropriate relationship with a student.
Torsiello has been on administrative leave from his teaching position since Feb. 2, with the earliest possible return scheduled for the start of the 2026-27 school year, according to the lawsuit, nj.com's Keith Sargeant reported, adding Torsiello was removed as girls' basketball coach before the end of the season.
Torsiello is seeking at least $1 million in damages from the student and her family, according to the lawsuit.
Torsiello said the controversy began when he provided the student access to the girls' basketball team’s Instagram account so she could post about Senior Night activities. He claims the student then invaded his privacy, accessing his personal Instagram account and searching through Torsiello’s personal and private messages that allegedly revealed explicit photos between himself and another adult.
Torsiello said the messages were between him and “another teacher in her 30s” and never intended to be accessed by the student.
“Those messages are from a year ago,” he told nj.com. “It’s frustrating when you haven’t done anything wrong. You might have been embarrassed, but who wouldn’t be embarrassed by something on their phone if someone was allowed to rifle through their phone?”
Torsiello called any notion that he’s had an inappropriate relationship with a student “absurd.”
“There’s no merit to this,” he said.
Torsiello’s lawsuit also states that “defamatory and false statements” were published within a Facebook group known as Jersey Coast Emergency News, including posts, comments, photographs, videos and screenshots that alleged Torsiello engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student.
“These private communications, which were unrelated to school activities and did not involve any students whatsoever, were deliberately and maliciously screenshot, disseminated among students with the intent of harming Mr. Torsiello’s reputation, and ultimately circulated publicly. Those allegations are categorically false,” the letter to the family stated.
“At the time those messages were first posted, the district was aware that messages between two adult staff members had been inadvertently accessed by students,” CarneyRay-Yoder said in a statement. “Although there had been no reports or information in the district’s possession regarding alleged sexual misconduct by district staff with students, that incident was reported to the Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit and the Berkeley Township Police Department.”
Without naming Torsiello, Central Regional superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder said the speculation circulating on social media about sexual misconduct “was not based on any information known to the district” at the time.
Torsiello has not been charged with a crime, according to court records, per Sargeant's reporting.
“I think my coaching days are done,” Torsiello told nj.com. “I’ve kind of accepted that. Because we as educators have tenure and that protects us from false accusations like this. But everything else is at will, from coaching to club advisors, and so the schools are free to move on. While I personally don’t like it for myself, I do understand it.”
The lawsuit states Torsiello's salary at Central is approximately $80,000, and his coaching stipends add up to approximately $16,300.
