Lawsuit: Mississippi soccer player with rare skin disease attacked, bullied and sexually assaulted by teammates
Published 7:02 am Friday, July 15, 2022
Parents of a Mississippi child who suffers from a rare skin disease have filed a lawsuit that alleges that their child was bullied, abused and sexually assaulted by a group of high school soccer players at school and at a summer soccer camp.
The lawsuit filed in May 2022 accuses five players on the Pass Christian soccer team of tormenting the child who suffers from Darier Disease, a skin condition that causes welts and reacts when the skin comes in contact with certain contaminants.
WLOX in Biloxi and the Biloxi Sun-Herald recently reported on the lawsuit and the allegations.
The suit claims that the Pass Christian School District and Jones College — where the summer camp was organized — failed to protect the high school athlete and did not adhere to their own policies as it relates to bullying.
Court documents detail the alleged abuse, which includes putting Icy Hot and bleach on the child’s clothing, throwing hot Ramen noodle water on the athlete’s face, waking up and stuffing Vienna sausages down the child’s throat during camp and stripping the child naked and videoing his exposed body. The lawsuit contends that the video was shared on the social media app Snap Chat to several hundred other people.
In June 2021, lawyers for the family offered to settle the case out of court for $500,000 if the school district adopted a zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy among other requirements.
When asked for comment by WLOX in Biloxi and the Sun-Herald newspaper, the Pass Christian School District released the following statement:
“We believe all students excel when they are accepted, valued and safe. Actions concerning the event were handled in accordance with our code of conduct. As this is an ongoing legal and student matter, we will refrain from further comment.”