An 18-year-old former water polo player has filed a lawsuit against Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, alleging that he endured repeated sexual assault and racial harassment during his time on the team.
Aidan Romain, who previously attended the private school and played on its water polo team, claims the alleged incidents happened over a period of years while he trained with teammates and coaches. According to court filings, Romain says the behavior occurred frequently during practices, workouts, and team activities.
Romain, who is originally from Bel Air, said he has long had aspirations of competing at the highest level of water polo. In fact, he previously shared that he hopes to one day compete in the Olympics. However, he says his experience at the school became extremely difficult. “It was very difficult on a daily basis to deal with the racial abuse and the sexual abuse,” said Romain, who is currently living in Barcelona, Spain. He continued describing what he says he experienced while on the team. “The racial abuse and sexual abuse was a daily basis thing,” he added. “It happened in nearly every training; it would happen many times daily, sometimes outside of the pool. So, it was certainly a difficult experience.”
According to Romain’s lawsuit, the alleged behavior was part of a broader pattern. “The abuse was not spontaneous. It was part of a years-long culture in which violence and humiliation were normalized and facilitated through the school’s coaching staff and administration.”
The lawsuit names several parties, including the school itself, its president, Romain’s former coach, and one of his previous teammates. The claims are now moving through the legal process.
Lawsuit Details: Former Water Polo Player Alleges Sexual Assault And Racial Abuse At Harvard-Westlake
According to the lawsuit, Romain alleges that he experienced repeated racial harassment and physical abuse while participating in the Harvard-Westlake water polo program. The complaint outlines multiple alleged incidents involving teammates and training sessions.
One of the individuals named in the lawsuit is former Harvard-Westlake water polo player Lucca Van Der Woude.
Romain’s attorney, Daniel Watkins, says the legal complaint describes numerous instances of racial abuse directed at his client. “The complaint walks through a myriad of allegations of racial abuse ranging from Aidan being called the N-word to being literally whipped with exercise bands in the weight room supposedly re-enacting slavery,” said Watkins, who represents Romain in the lawsuit.
In addition to the racial allegations, the lawsuit also claims that Van Der Woude sexually assaulted Romain multiple times. According to the filing, these alleged assaults occurred in different settings connected to the team, including in the weight room and underwater during water polo practices.The lawsuit states that these alleged incidents were not isolated events but occurred repeatedly over time. Romain’s legal team argues that the school had a responsibility to protect students participating in its athletics programs.
“The core of the lawsuit is that the school failed to protect Aidan,” said Watkins. “They failed to report the assaults as they were occurring to law enforcement.”
The lawsuit is now part of an ongoing legal dispute, and the allegations outlined in the complaint have not been proven in court.
Harvard-Westlake School And Attorneys Respond To The Allegations
Following the filing of the lawsuit, Harvard-Westlake School released a statement addressing the claims. While the school declined to comment on specific details of the case, it disputed several of the allegations included in the complaint.A spokesperson for the school shared the following statement with Eyewitness News:
“Harvard-Westlake will not offer specific comment other than to say that it unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions,” read the statement.The school also stated that it took reports related to the water polo program seriously and responded when concerns were raised.
“The school treated reports of inappropriate behavior in its water polo program with urgency and seriousness, promptly initiating an investigation and complying with its mandatory reporting obligations.“The school also cooperated completely with law enforcement.”
According to the lawsuit, Romain’s parents contacted school administrators in February 2024 regarding one of the alleged incidents. The complaint states that they sent an email notifying administrators about the situation.
However, a letter sent by Harvard-Westlake’s attorney disputes part of that claim.According to the letter, “at no time… did either Mr. or Mrs. Romain report that Aidan had been a victim of sexual assault.” Meanwhile, the attorney representing Lucca Van Der Woude also released a brief statement regarding the allegations.
“We do not intend to litigate this matter in the media,” said attorney Michael Artan in an iemail to Eyewitness News. “Mr. Van Der Woude’s denials and other responses will be clear and unambiguous in his defense to the Complaint at hand.”
The legal case is ongoing, and further developments will likely come as both sides present their arguments in court.
