Burrell School District will pay almost $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a former student who alleged the district failed to protect her from sexual abuse by a former swim coach.
The lawsuit claimed the district also failed to supervise former assistant swim coach Raymond Novak, whom she had a sexual relationship with when she was 15.
The woman, identified in court documents only as “Jane Doe,” filed the lawsuit in Westmoreland County Court in September 2021.
She asserted negligence and vicarious liability claims against the district and battery and negligence claims against Novak, stemming from incidents she said occurred during the 2008-09 school year when she was a sophomore on Burrell’s swim team.
The former student alleged she was sexually assaulted by Novak. In 2012, Novak pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated indecent assault, statutory rape, indecent assault and using a cellphone for sexual communications and was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison.
The settlement agreement, obtained via a Right-to-Know request, was approved by the school board in May. The $999,000 payment to the former student will be paid through the district’s insurer.
In her complaint, the woman alleged Burrell failed to protect her, failed to control Novak, was negligent in its hiring and supervision of its personnel, did not have or enforce appropriate protocols and permitted inappropriate interactions to occur.
The school district denies liability for the woman’s claims in the lawsuit or for any damages to her, the agreement states. It further states the district moved forward with the settlement “to avoid the considerable expense, inconvenience and uncertainty of further litigation.”
In return, the lawsuit will be dropped.
Both parties agreed to a mutual confidentiality and non-disparagement clause, which bars them from commenting about the lawsuit and settlement.
