By Evie Moreno
A former Mount Lebanon School District volleyball coach has been accused of engaging in unwelcome and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature with minor-female members of the volleyball team, which he was coaching.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Federal Court on April 25, 2016, names the Mount Lebanon School District, Athletic Director John Grogan, and former coach Brian Begor, as defendants, and brings a count of a Title IX violation against the Mount Lebanon School District, and counts of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 violations against Athletic Director John Grogan and Former Volleyball Coach Brian Begor, individually.
Brian Begor was hired as head coach of the Mount Lebanon High School’s volleyball team in 2015. Following several complaints about his inappropriate conduct, Begor resigned from his coaching position with the school district. The complaint details the conduct that Begor engaged in with his minor-Female players, which included giving them shoulder massages, ordering them to wrestle each other while he video-recorded the matches, touching the players behinds, and using sexually suggestive nicknames.
The issues of sexual misconduct brought forth by Jane Doe 1-4 in this complaint are not the first instances of Begor’s inappropriate actions with minor-female volleyball players. In 1995, Begor was a club coach for the Pittsburgh Golden Triangles and had contact with the Mount Lebanon Varsity Girls Volleyball players. The Mount Lebanon School District was informed that Begor had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with two minor-female volleyball players. The conduct in the 1995 incident includes giving these minors “oil rub downs” and providing them with 3-4 hour “private lessons”. As a result of the 1995 inappropriate sexual conduct, the Mount Lebanon School District prohibited Begor from being on school property and from attending Girls Volleyball games.
The complaint maintains that prior to the hiring of Begor, former players, coaches, and parents spoke with Athletic Director Grogan to warn him about Begor’s past in an attempt to dissuade him from hiring Begor.
The plaintiffs allege that the school district hired coach Brian Begor, despite previous allegations of sexual misconduct, in violation of Federal Law, and maintain that the Mt. Lebanon School District had actual and constructive knowledge of Begor’s past conduct and prior sexual harassment incident at the time of his hiring in 2015 and ignored warnings about his conduct.
By hiring Begor for the Head Coach position, the Mount Lebanon School District afforded him a supervisory power over the Girls Volleyball team. In his role as coach, Begor had the ability to cut the minor-female students from the team, and was able to instruct and control their actions during team activities, and the complaint asserts that Begor utilized this supervisory power to engage in inappropriate sexual conduct with the minor-female students on his team.
Based on the sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct that Begor engaged in with his minor-female volleyball players, and the responsibility that the school district and athletic director had to supervise coaches and prevent such conduct from occurring, the plaintiffs assert that they were subjected to discrimination on the basis of sex, in violation of Title IX.
The second and third counts included in the complaint pertain to claims of deprivation of Equal Protection of the Law in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The second count, which is made against Begor as an individual, argues that by subjecting the minor-female plaintiffs to unwanted sexual conduct, Begor deprived them of Equal Protection of the Law. The third count, made against Athletic Director John Grogan, states that in his role as the athletic director, Grogan had a supervisory authority over Begor, and was reckless and negligent in his decision to hire Begor despite his past instances of sexual inappropriateness with minor-female students. The complaint alleges that Grogan’s conduct facilitated Begor’s actions and deprived the minor-female students of Equal Protection of the Law.
The injuries and damages claimed by the four minor-female Plaintiffs include: emotional harm, severe depression, deprivation of the ordinary pleasures of life, and pain and suffering caused by the almost daily exposure to a hostile educational environment.
Attorneys of record: (for plaintiffs: Samuel J. Cordes, Samuel J. Cordes & Associates). (for defendants John Grogan and Mount Lebanon School District: John W. Smart, Andrews & Price, Pittsburgh, PA). (for defendant Brian Begor: Teresa O. Sirianni, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, Pittsburgh, PA).
Doe 1et. al. v. Mount Lebanon School District, et. al. W.D. Pa.; Civil Action No. 2:16-cv-00498-JFC (4/25/16).
Moreno is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. After working for a minor league hockey team, she began practicing law in Pittsburgh, where she maintains an active presence in the sports law community. During 2013 NHL season, she completed a multi-departmental internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins focusing on legal aspects of professional sports. She is currently working on developing sports exchanges between the United States and Cuba. Moreno can be reached at eviemoreno@gmail.com
