Scandal Unveiled: Water Polo Director’s Son Accused of Teammate Abuse

When water polo prodigy Lucca van der Woude was escorted from his prestigious private school in handcuffs, his classmates, dressed in designer Gucci, were in shock.

Standing tall at six feet, Lucca, a promising Olympic hopeful and junior at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, seemed invincible within the school’s elite social and sports circles.

However, a lawsuit from the water polo team’s sole Black player alleges that Lucca exploited his perceived invincibility to orchestrate a campaign of racial harassment and sexual assault, which ultimately led to his arrest in February 2024.

Lucca’s father, Thomas Bastian van der Woude, boasts an impressive Hollywood résumé, contributing to numerous popular movies and TV shows over the past three decades.

His filmography includes major titles like “Oceans 11” and its sequels, two “Star Trek” films, “Fast and Furious 5,” “Cast Away,” “The Insider,” “Home Alone 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Battleship,” and 50 episodes of “Fear The Walking Dead,” serving as either first or second assistant director.

Basti, as he is known professionally, was also part of the directing team under Dee Rees that won Outstanding Directorial Achievement at the Directors Guild Of America Awards in 2016 for HBO film Bessie.

He was nominated for that award several other times as far back as 2000 for The Green Mile and 2001 for Traffic, after graduating from Macalester College in 1984, where he became friends with Peter Berg.

But as successful as Lucca’s family was, it paled in comparison to that of his victim.

Lucca van der Woude, an older teammate and alleged racist bullying ringleader, pleaded guilty in juvenile court in November 2024 to sexually assaulting Aidan

Lucca’s father Thomas Bastian van der Woude (pictured in an old photo with Lucca on the left) is a Hollywood director

Thomas (second from right, next to actor Bryan Cranston) was part of the directing team under Dee Rees (second from left) that won Outstanding Directorial Achievement at the Directors Guild Of America Awards in 2016 for HBO film Bessie

Aidan Romain, grew up in a $5 million mansion with a superstar lawyer father and a place at the most prestigious school in LA.

But the lawsuit claims all that privilege didn’t stop him being sexually assaulted on his team and being whipped in a degrading ‘slavery reenactment’.

Aidan was just 14 when he joined the team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in August 2022, and the abuse began at his first practice.

‘He was sexually assaulted by an older teammate, Lucca van der Woude, who digitally penetrated him underwater,’ the lawsuit read.

‘[Aidan] jumped up in the water and yelped in surprise. [He] knew the assault was wrong. It felt invasive and terrifying. But he said nothing – afraid that speaking up would cost him everything.’

This assault, and again later that day in the weight room, set the tone for 16 months of terror, mockery, bullying, and sexual assault, his lawsuit filed last week claimed.

That such horrific abuse could to happen to a teen like Aidan, with wealthy parents powerful enough to rain hell on anyone who crossed him, showed – the lawsuit argued – how much him being the team’s only black player mattered.

His father, Alex Romain, is a partner at massive international law firm Jenner & Block with billions of dollars in litigation victories in his 25 years of practice.

Aidan Romain was just 14 when he joined the team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in August 2022, and the abuse began at his first practice

Aidan with his father Alex outside the Rose Bowl stadium. Aidan’s mother filed the lawsuit on her son’s behalf with his father’s recollections included

The Yale graduate successfully defended Senator Ted Stevens on corruption charges and former Fannie Mae chairman and chief executive Franklin Raines from a $2 billion lawsuit.

Aidan’s mother Melissa Spence Romain is secretary of the board of the IAMA Theatre Company in LA.

The couple was forced to sell their beloved six-bedroom, seven-bathroom 4,912sqft mansion in Bel Air for $5 million in 2024 after pulling Aidan out of Harvard-Westlake and sending him to live in Europe.

Lucca was only arrested – on the school’s campus – in February 2024 after another parent complained to police about their son being abused too.

He pleaded guilty in juvenile court to sexual penetration with a foreign object (digital penetration) against a minor on November 7, 2024, according to court records.

By then 17, he was ordered to complete probation and pay $50,000 restitution in a plea deal with Los Angeles County Juvenile Court prosecutors that dropped a more serious charge. The restitution is yet to be paid.

The civil lawsuit claimed Lucca was so brazen about his sexual abuse of Aidan that he joked in front of coaches during a bout of conjunctivitis that ‘he had acquired the condition from digitally penetrating his teammates before rubbing his eyes’. 

Aidan’s parents said they only learned of the sexual assaults of their son a day after Lucca’s arrest when detectives came to interview the family, as the boy was afraid they would pull him off the team if he told them.

Alex Romain, is a partner at massive international law firm Jenner & Block with billions of dollars in litigation victories in his 25 years of practice

The couple’s six-bedroom, seven-bathroom 4,912sqft mansion in Bel Air they sold for $5 million in 2024 after pulling Aidan out of Harvard-Westlake

But now they are sinking their resources to go after their son’s abuser, the school, its president Richard Commons, and water polo coach – three-time NCAA National Championship winner Jack Grover.

Lucca’s family lacks the enormous financial clout of Aidan’s, but still seemingly afforded the $52,000-a-year tuition plus thousands more for food, books, and extra-curriculars and a $2,500 new student fee.

Whether Lucca was admitted to Harvard-Westlake on a scholarship is unclear. 

Lucca’s mother Nilda is the editor of Spanish language translations at Laureate International Universities.

Nilda was the Harvard-Westlake water polo ‘team mom’ who managed team logistics and parent communications, further cementing Lucca’s place at the top of the squad’s social hierarchy, the lawsuit states.

Lucca talked about his mixed heritage – a Dutch father and Argentinian mother – in the lengthy bio on his personal website.

‘This blend of cultures has played a major role in shaping who I am. From a young age, I’ve been surrounded by the traditions, languages, and customs of both sides of my heritage,’ he wrote.

He started playing water polo aged eight, and also enjoys regular ski trips with his father and brother.

Aidan (left) in an old photo with his parents and sister. He now lives in Barcelona away from his father and possibly his mother

Aidan’s mother Melissa Spence Romain is secretary of the IAMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles

Lucca also talked up his animal advocacy in a glowing local newspaper article in December 2024 – just weeks after his conviction for heinous sex crimes.

‘[His] story is one of resilience, service, and unyielding compassion. He is a young man who refuses to compartmentalize his passions,’ it read.

Aidan’s lawsuit and the criminal case tell a much different story – one of a remorseless, racist, perverted bully who made his black teammate’s life hell.

The 54-page complaint details a shocking campaign of bullying by teammates, led by Lucca, that Aidan was allegedly subjected to in addition to the older teen’s frequent sexual assaults.

‘This lawsuit is born of a profound and unforgivable injustice,’ Daniel Watkins, of Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch who filed the case in the LA Superior Court, told the Daily Mail.

‘The truth is laid bare in the complaint – unvarnished, unflinching, undeniable. We welcome our day in court,’ he added. The lawsuit will seek tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Despite Aidan and another student complaining to Grover and higher school officials, the lawsuit claimed Harvard-Westlake did nothing.

Thomas filming Hollywood film Battleship  at a baseball field in Honolulu in October 2010

Nilda was the Harvard-Westlake water polo ‘team mom’ who managed team logistics and parent communications, further cementing Lucca’s place at the top of the squad’s social hierarchy, the lawsuit explained

The lawsuit claimed Lucca and another Harvard-Westlake player even ‘whipped [Aidan] in the weight room in a re-enactment of slavery’ in one particularly degrading incident.

‘They began whipping [Aidan] with a rope and then an elastic band, making references to slavery as they demanded that [Aidan] ‘get back to work!’ while striking [him],’ the lawsuit claimed of that incident. 

According to the lawsuit, the other teammate was Connor Kim – a decorated elite player who earned Junior Olympics All-American honors in multiple seasons.

Kim emerged from the scandal unscathed and now plays for Harvard University in his first year and is on track to challenge for an Olympic spot.

‘Connor Kim ridiculed [Aidan] over the fact that his ancestors had been enslaved and subsequently forced to pick crops,’ the lawsuit claimed.

Lucca and Kim also mockingly complained Aidan’s black skin made him difficult to see during games and joked he was the team’s ‘secret weapon’ as opposing players wouldn’t be able to see him in the pool, the lawsuit claimed.

‘They taunted him with racial slurs, calling him a n****r nearly every day for approximately five months,’ the lawsuit claimed.

‘When Kim and Lucca Van Der Woude were questioned by the school, both admitted it. Harvard-Westlake still failed to take necessary steps to protect [Aidan].

‘This constant degradation – which occurred virtually every single day for five months – was a frequent reminder of [Aidan’s] status as an outcast on his own team and important context for an environment with rampant physical abuse.’ 

Connor Kim emerged from the scandal unscathed and now plays for Harvard University in his first year and is on track to challenge for an Olympic spot

As the racist and abusive culture intensified throughout December 2023 and January 2024, according to the lawsuit, Lucca had a rare moment of self-awareness.

‘I want to apologize for everything that’s happened. Most of the issues have been my fault and I’m sorry,’ he wrote in the team group chat.

‘I know it hurts the team and I’m very sorry for that. I promise to be better moving forward.’

The lawsuit claimed this did not happen, and the abuse of Aidan – including further sexual assault – continued.

But the worst single assault came from a third teammate, who was unnamed in the lawsuit, who allegedly viciously attacked him in February 2024 for not leaving a shower stall.

Aidan reported the attack to Grover the next day, who took notes that were in part quoted in the lawsuit.

‘[Aidan] stated that the assailant ‘first grabbed’ him, then ‘turned him around and kneed him and tried to knee him in the penis,’ and later ‘grabbed his balls and tried to knee him,’ the lawsuit stated.

Grover’s notes recorded the attack as lasting about two minutes and documented that a witness said the teammate was ‘going after [Aidan]’s testicular area’.

As the racist and abusive culture intensified throughout December 2023 and January 2024, according to the lawsuit, Lucca had a rare moment of self-awareness with this message to the team group chat

Lucca was a rising star in water polo at the school and considered a future Olympic prospect

However, the lawsuit claimed the first thing Grover asked when Aidan’s parents called him about the attack was, ‘Do you think [Aidan] is lying?’

Instead of getting to the bottom of the issue and punishing the attacker, the lawsuit claimed athletic director Matt LaCour said he would ‘make an example’ out of the situation.

He suspended both students for four games, claiming it was to ‘dissect everything that occurred,’ the lawsuit read.  

Harvard-Westlake is a storied high school nestled in the Hollywood Hills just south of North Hollywood in Los Angeles County.

Alumni include Grammy and Golden Globe winners, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actors, directors and screenwriters, like Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lily Collins.

Famous politicians, mayors, and governors, Olympic gold medalists, astronaut Sally Ride, and business magnates like Jean Paul Getty also went there.

Lucca, like many young athletes who went through Harvard-Westlake’s elite sporting programs, was a rising star in water polo and considered a future Olympic prospect.  

But Aidan and his parents claimed despite the school’s illustrious reputation and former students, it didn’t lift a finger for him.

Much of the lawsuit is devoted to outlining how the school knew Aidan was being racially, and later sexually, abused and allegedly failed to stop it.

Grover claimed in an October 2023 meeting with Aidan’s parents following the whipping incident that he ‘would rather lose’ than allow the abuse to continue.

Harvard-Westlake water polo coach Jack Grover is under formal investigation by the US Center for SafeSport for failing to report claims of sexual assault

Harvard-Westlake is a storied high school nestled in the Hollywood Hills just south of North Hollywood in Los Angeles County

However, despite Grover saying he was advised by his ‘professional coach’ to talk to the kids’ parents directly to tell them the behavior was not acceptable, he ‘expressed considerable skepticism’.

‘Can you imagine how upset the parents would be if I raised this issue with them?’ the lawsuit claimed he said.

The lawsuit claimed Harvard-Westlake first became aware Aidan was being sexually assaulted in December 2023 when another student said it was happening to him, too.

However, the school dismissed their concerns after four other players denied it.

‘As a result, [school dean] Sharon Cuseo explained, Harvard-Westlake could not do anything,’ the lawsuit claimed.

Police were never called, and neither was the Department of Child and Family Services or Aidan’s parents, and the lawsuit claimed that had the school done this, the abuse could have been stopped in its tracks.

Aidan’s parents, in the lawsuit, accused the school of being so hellbent on covering up the scandal that its lawyers tried to gaslight them over the shower attack.

The couple emailed school officials soon after they learned about it, outlining what happened according to Grover’s notes.

The complaint included a screenshot of a text from assistant head of school Janine Jones expressing concern after reading the email.

‘I just want him to know I’m here for him,’ she wrote.

Aidan’s parents emailed school officials soon after they learned about the shower attack, outlining what happened according to Grover’s notes

The complaint included a screenshot of a text from assistant head of school Janine Jones expressing concern after reading the email

However, a June 28, 2024, email from Harvard-Westlake’s outside counsel denying the school ever received any report from Aidan or his parents that he had been sexually assaulted. 

Aidan said in a victim impact statement at Lucca’s sentencing that the abuse did not stop with his arrest because, ‘people assumed that I had called the police or reported Lucca’s behavior, but I had not.’

He claimed his younger sister, who was at Harvard-Westlake’s middle school, received threats warning ‘our family had messed with the wrong people’ and they were going to ‘take their house’.

Lucca was banned from Harvard-Westlake’s campus and water polo team, and the school stopped competing while a third-party review of the program was completed.

‘Harvard-Westlake is sympathetic to the range of emotions that our players and their families are experiencing,’ head of athletics Terry Barnum wrote to parents.

‘We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience as we work through this process.’

But even outside Harvard-Westlake, Lucca was also a frequent threat, the lawsuit claimed, as he allegedly violated a non-contact order 23 times in the year after it was issued. 

The two crossed paths at a USA Water Polo-sanctioned national team selection and training camps, tournaments, and international competitions with Team USA.

Aidan’s parents withdrew him from the school in May 2024, and sent him to school Barcelona to escape the situation

Aidan in action for Harvard-Westlake in a photo he posted online

Aidan’s parents said they had no option but to withdraw him from the school in May 2024, and sent him to school in Barcelona – one of the few other places he could train at a high level – to escape the situation.

‘At a time when he needed his father’s daily comfort and guidance most, he was an ocean away, relying on calls and messages instead of hugs and presence,’ the lawsuit read.

‘[Aidan] began intensive counseling and trauma therapy to address the damage: the panic episodes, the nightmares, the nights spent staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping. The hypervigilance in public spaces. The loss of trust in adults.’

Aidan’s mother and younger sister moved to Barcelona with him while his father stayed behind in LA to continue his legal practice.

The family had to sell their Bel Air mansion to afford a new house in Barcelona to satisfy Spanish residency requirements.

Aidan is playing for Spanish pro team Centre Natació Mataró and finishing school online but has committed to play water polo for an Ivy League team next autumn to hopefully get his Olympic dream back on track.

Lucca transferred to Newport Harbor, a public school in Orange County, California, and continued competing for Team USA in junior events.

Aidan’s lawsuit claimed this was possible because his family and Harvard-Westlake conspired to facilitate his transfer ‘with a clean record, as if nothing had ever happened and he had committed no crimes.’  

‘The school’s actions enabled Lucca Van Der Woude’s continued access to a new community of vulnerable minors – without warning, without accountability, and without consequence,’ the lawsuit claimed.

Neither did it inform water polo governing bodies, leading to Lucca being called upon to mentor players as young as 13, even after admitting to sexually assaulting Aidan when his victim was 14.

However, his acceptance to UCLA was rescinded after his crimes were made public last year.

Harvard-Westlake tuition costs $52,500 a year plus thousands more for food, books, and extra-curriculars and a $2,500 new student fee

Harvard-Westlake sport facilities including the football field, pool, and indoor sport stadiums

He instead played for Golden West College, a community college in Huntington Beach, last season and his career appears derailed.

‘We do not intend to litigate this matter in the media,’ his lawyer attorney Michael Artan said in a statement. 

‘Mr Van Der Woude’s denials and other responses will be clear and unambiguous in his defense to the complaint at hand.’

Grover is under formal investigation by the US Center for SafeSport for failing to report claims of sexual assault.

Harvard-Westlake said it would not offer specific comment on the lawsuit but that it cooperated completely with law enforcement.

‘[The school] unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions,’ it 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.’