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A lawsuit has been filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that a senior member of the Harvard-Westlake High School water polo team sexually assaulted a younger teammate. The accused senior is also said to have used racial slurs against the younger player. The lawsuit claims that despite these incidents being reported, the coach and school administrators failed to take any action.
The legal action represents Aidan Romain, who was only 14 when he joined the team as a freshman. Another teammate is also represented in the case.
Romain, now 18, emerged as a promising athlete in water polo. He was one of the few Black athletes on his school’s team and participated in the USA Water Polo’s national team development program, highlighting his potential in the sport.
According to the lawsuit, Romain faced abuse from his first practice session in August 2022 at the prestigious Los Angeles private school. He was allegedly digitally penetrated by Lucca van der Woude, an older teammate, who was then considered a top Olympic prospect in American water polo, as reported by the Orange County Register.
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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 was widely thought of as a top Olympic prospect in American water polo, the Orange County Register reported.
The sexual assaults, according to the complaint, regularly occurred along with Romain being called the N-word on a daily basis through February 2024.
Romain’s mother claimed to have met with Harvard-Westlake Coach Jack Grover on at least two occasions to share concerns about the team’s culture of racial slurs and abusive behavior, lawyers wrote in the complaint.
In response to her concerns, Grover sent her a text saying, “my eyes are going to be on [your son],” The Register reported.
The suit is filed against van der Woude, Harvard-Westlake School president Richard B. Commons and Coach Grover.
“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. “Harvard-Westlake still failed to take necessary steps to protect Plaintiff.”
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 Register showed.
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.
Committed to UCLA, the current NCAA water polo champions, the university withdrew its offer after a report published by The O.C. Register outlining the accusations and legal case against him.
Van der Woude instead played for Golden College West this last season.
Asked for a comment on the accusation, school officials provided the following statement to affiliate KTLA:
“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.”