Former Norwalk (Conn.) High School head softball coach Cary Nadel is facing a civil lawsuit after he was arrested on May 9, 2025, on four misdemeanor count of fourth degree sexual assault and a single felony charge of risk of injury to a minor.
According to Softball on SI, the incidents occurred on school grounds and involved players Nadel was coaching at the time. Nadel was released by the school in March of 2025, and the criminal investigation proceeded in April.
One player reportedly told police, "There were numerous times when Nadel would slap her on her buttocks and sometimes he would leave his hand on her butt when he would talk to her. When he would do this to her, she felt 'uncomfortable, fearful, weirded out and disgusted.' "
Now the families of three of the alleged victims have filed a civil suit in Stamford Superior Court seeking monetary damages from Nadel, the Norwalk Board of Education and the City of Norwalk.
The suit claims Nadel subjected all of the victims to "unwanted sexual touching of their intimate body parts, inappropriate sexual conduct and other degrading conduct."
In the lawsuit, it was alleged that "Nadel regularly placed his hand on the lower backs, hips, waists, buttocks, thighs and inner thighs of the Plaintiffs without consent while purportedly 'coaching them.'
Nadel is also accused of wrapping his arm around the plaintiffs' waists and "pulling them tightly against his body so that their hips touched." He is also accused of making body-shaming comments.
The plaintiffs allege the City of Norwalk engaged in negligent hiring, training and supervision of Nadel. In the complaint, it was alleged that the City failed to train and supervise Nadel adequately; failed to monitor or have policies in place to prevent inappropriate physical contact; failed to intervene despite complaints and notice of inappropriate behavior and failed to provide adequate oversight of coach-athlete interactions.
