Sacto 911: Civil Lawsuit Filed against Christian Brothers High, Former Coach

By Cathy Locke
Modesto Bee
March 15, 2012

http://www.modbee.com/2012/03/15/2114520/sacto-911-civil-lawsuit-filed.html

A civil lawsuit has been filed in Sacramento County Superior Court against a former Christian Brothers High School volleyball coach, the school and the Christian Brothers religious order, which operates the school.

The suit stems from allegations that Minh Anh Nguyen, a volleyball coach and history teacher at Christian Brothers, sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female student in December 2009 while the team was attending a volleyball tournament in Orange County. The suit, filed Wednesday, alleges that the Catholic Church and school officials could and should have prevented the incident.

Lorcan Barnes, president of Christian Brothers High School, said today that he had not seen the lawsuit but was aware that it had been filed. Barnes said Nguyen's employment was terminated in December 2009, the day after allegations of the assault were brought to the attention of school officials. Nguyen had taught and coached at the school for five years.

The suit was brought on behalf of the female student, identified as Jane Doe 40. The teenager reported that the incident occurred on or around Dec. 4, 2009 while she was attending a volleyball tournament in Orange County and Nguyen was in her hotel room after curfew. Nguyen allegedly gave her a massage so she would not be tense during the next day's game. During the massage, he allegedly lifted the teenager's bra and pushed down her sweatpants.

Nguyen reportedly assured the student and her parents that he had expertise in athletic massage and had provided massage therapy to other students at the school.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office filed a misdemeanor child annoyance charge against Nguyen, but the charge was dismissed in December 2010 following two mistrials.

Nguyen could not be reached for comment.

Sacramento attorney Joseph C. George, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the young woman, said efforts will be made to determine through the civil discovery process to whether other students had similar experiences with Nguyen.

Barnes said such efforts were made following the 2009 allegations and Christian Brothers officials participated the Orange County trials. Barnes said he was not aware of any other reports of students being victimized.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff has suffered physical, mental and emotional health problems as a result of the Nguyen's actions. The suit seeks damages for past and future medical, psychotherapy and related expenses; physical and mental pain and suffering; and for past and future lost wages and loss of earning capacity. It also seeks punitive damages.

Contact: clocke@sacbee.com