Girl could have avoided sex with coach, school district argues

[proud2BlibKansan]

LAPORTE, Ind. — A northern Indiana school district has responded to an $18.7 million lawsuit from the family of a teenage girl who had sex with her volleyball coach, saying she voluntarily engaged in the relationship and assumed all risk.

The family filed the lawsuit last week, maintaining LaPorte Community Schools officials ignored signs the two were involved in a relationship. The lawsuit says the district 25 miles west of South Bend didn't properly supervise its employees or provide a safe environment for the girl.

Robert Ashcraft was sentenced to 21 years in prison last July on charges of sexual misconduct and child seduction.

The Times of Munster reports (http://bit.ly/LSyb6b) the school district denied the family's allegations and claimed she knew what she was doing. The girl was 15 at the time.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120601/NEWS02/120601036/Girl-could-avoided-sex-coach-school-district-argues?odyssey=obinsite

[rfranklin]

1. Sorry, but that one ain't gonna fly...

it's a lead balloon.

[jberryhill]

2. How much should the district pay her?

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. $18 million seems a bit excessive

[msanthrope]

12. What price do you put on rape, and its institutional coverup, without hearing any evidence?

I cannot form an opinion on the damages that should be paid to this rape victim, because I have not heard the disposition of criminal charges of all three adults involved.

Apparently, there was the teacher who raped her, and the two adults who helped cover-up the affair. The teacher is serving a 21-year sentence, the other two are awaiting trial.

18.7 might just send the message to the school district loud and clear....

[Iggo]

11. Without reading any replies, those were my exact words.

"That ain't gonna fly."

[riderinthestorm]

4. My 15 yr old would be vulnerable in that situation

An authority figure she trusted... hell, she's had sex at 14 years old to score drugs! She is completely immature about sex and the ramifications. The school district is 110% wrong to blame the victim here and I hope they suffer some blowback. Maybe $18 mill is too much but they should get some pain for their despicable position blaming this girl.

[kiranon]

7. If school district follows this course, the plaintiff may win twice the $18million.

This is one time that the district should not follow its lawyer's advice on how to proceed IMHO if this is the lawyer's advice.

[riderinthestorm]

8. Agreed. Blaming the 15 yr old student who presumably has a worshipful relationship with her coach

The school needs massive re-training for it's teachers as an assurance for future students and they need to stop blaming the young girl here. Jeez, the perps already in jail - convicted of this, the school's attorney's need to be in quiet negotiations on how to resolve this instead of hardening their stance that its a minor child's fault.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Exactly

[sakabatou]

5. Yes, let's slut shame her!

[jberryhill]

6. The perp is in jail

The district should just hand over 18 million? Why? Why not 17? Why not 20?

[Wabbajack_]

9. 21 years, damn

[riderinthestorm]

10. That can't be a coincidence. If my 15 yr old got preggers

from the rape by her teacher the real and permanent financial and emotional damages would be @ 21 years or until that rape-child became a self-sufficient adult (cuz my 15 yr old would fight me to the death for the right to keep her love child, yes that's exactly where we are right now).