Second student in 2015 Ooltewah High School rape settles federal case

A second 2015 Ooltewah High School sex assault victim has settled a civil case with the Hamilton County Department of Education. But, much like a settlement from earlier this year, the terms are confidential.

Instead of going to trial in Chattanooga’s U.S. District Court in January, department attorneys agreed to a “minor settlement” with the student, who is referred to as “Richard Roe” in court documents. That settlement is sealed, but court records show a state judge approved it Tuesday.

“John Doe” and “Richard Roe” are two of the four then-minors who say older classmates attacked them with pool cues during a December 2015 trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for a basketball tournament. On the night in question, with coaches either gone or not watching, Doe’s classmates held him down and penetrated his rectum with a pool cue. Doe settled his case, also for a confidential amount, in September.

Roe, meanwhile, said he was prodded with a pool cue over his clothes but managed to escape further assault. He and Doe filed lawsuits in 2016 that U.S. District Court Judge Harry “Sandy” Mattice set for trial this December. After Doe’s case settled, Roe’s trial date moved to January.

“Teammates Roe and Doe have bright futures,” Chattanooga attorney Justin Gilbert, who helped represent the students, said Monday in a statement. “They triumphed over personal tragedy, created Title IX law for others, and made the schoolhouse safer for future student athletes.”