January 1, Christian School Sued After Student Injured by Teammate, Then Punished for What He Said

Wyatt’s Take

• Teen soccer player slammed onto concrete by teammate during unsupervised warmup at Christian high school in New York
• Coach allegedly ignored the injuries and benched the victim for the rest of the game after accusing him of using a racial slur
• Family now facing hostility from team parents and coaches after the incident went public and the coach was fired

A New York family has filed a lawsuit against Our Lady of Lourdes High School, the Archdiocese of New York, and a former soccer coach, claiming their teenage son was injured when school officials failed to supervise students before a high school game. What makes this case even more troubling is the allegation that the injured student was the one who ended up being punished.

The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court in Dutchess County, was brought by S.O. on behalf of his minor child, L.O., a student and soccer player at the Poughkeepsie school. The suit names the school, the Archdiocese, and the former coach as defendants.

According to the complaint, the incident happened on Sept. 19, 2025, and involved L.O. and another member of the school’s soccer team. The filing alleges the teammate grabbed L.O. and slammed him onto a patch of concrete, causing abrasions to his arm, back, and hip. The coach was not present during the incident, the complaint states.

After the incident, the coach allegedly questioned the team but did not speak with L.O. outside the presence of the other player. The filing says the coach focused on L.O.’s statement that, if he was a “camel,” the other player was an “ape,” which the coach allegedly interpreted as a racial slur.

The coach then allegedly ordered L.O. to turn his jersey inside out and benched him for the rest of warmups and the game.

The complaint alleges that the coach did not assess L.O. for injuries or ask whether he was okay, despite being told that he had been hurt. The coach was later terminated by the school, according to multiple reports.

The filing says L.O. and his parents did not request the coach’s termination and alleges that the decision was made solely by the school and the Archdiocese.

The lawsuit further alleges that, after the coach’s termination, L.O. and his parents became the target of hostility from team members, parents, and coaches. So the injured kid becomes the villain in the eyes of the community.

The lawsuit asserts one cause of action: negligent supervision. It alleges that the school, Archdiocese, and the coach had a duty to supervise students during the athletic event and breached that duty by failing to ensure an adult was present before and during the altercation.

The family seeks damages for physical injuries, emotional distress, psychological harm, humiliation, property damage, and other monetary losses, along with costs and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Kimberly Lau of the firm Offit Kurman, provided a statement.

“Context matters. A child was hurt on school grounds during a time when supervision was required. We hope that the school can work with the family to restore a positive school environment for him and ensure all students are protected in the future.”

Why This Matters

When schools fail to supervise our kids properly, bad things happen. When they then punish the victim instead of the aggressor, it sends a message that political correctness matters more than safety and justice. Families trust Christian schools to do better than this, and when they don’t, they need to be held accountable. Our kids deserve protection, not punishment for defending themselves.