A Black former water polo player at Harvard-Westlake is suing the elite school, alleging that he endured years of sexual assault and racist harassment by his teammates while the administration turned a blind eye to protect star player Lucca van der Woude.
Aidan Romain alleges that, from August 2022 until February 2024, Van der Woude digitally penetrated him repeatedly and called him the N-word. Romain says this abuse continued even after he reported it to his coach and the school administration. According to the complaint, Van der Woude was arrested by Los Angeles police on school grounds in February 2024.
The lawsuit claims that the school then carried out a “cover-up” of Van der Woude’s behavior and facilitated his transfer to a new high school with a clean record. At the time, Van der Woude was a prized member of USA Water Polo’s national youth team, a designated mentor for younger players, and a strong future contender for the U.S. Men’s Olympic team.
In November 2024, Van der Woude admitted in juvenile court to having digitally penetrated a minor, the complaint notes, referencing reporting from the Orange County Register. In March 2025, the court ordered him to pay nearly $50,000 in restitution to Romain.
In a statement, Harvard-Westlake said it “unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions.” Michael Artan, an attorney representing Van der Woude, said he does not intend to “litigate his matter in the media” and that “Mr. Van der Woude’s denials and other responses will be clear and unambiguous in his defense to the Complaint at hand.”
Romain claims the abuse he endured on the team was “a drumbeat that grew louder and more destructive over time” in a lawsuit filed against the Studio City school, school President Richard Commons, water polo program head Jack Grover, and player Van der Woude in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday.
The complaint alleges that he faced “sexual assaults in the pool, the locker room, showers, and across Harvard-Westlake’s campus. Racial taunts so relentless they became a daily soundtrack. Physical attacks in plain view of adults charged with his care.”
The alleged abuse began when Romain was 14 years old and thrilled to be the only freshman member of the school’s varsity water polo team. But that excitement turned to horror at his first practice in August 2022 when Van der Woude allegedly digitally penetrated him underwater. At the time, Romain said nothing, fearing that speaking up against the star player would “cost him everything: his place on the team, the respect of his coaches, and the future he had worked so hard to build.”
However, the sexual abuse continued, along with frequent racist slurs directed at Romain by Van der Woude and other players. In his victim witness impact statement shared in juvenile court and included in the complaint, Romain described the experience as “incredibly stressful” – being called the N-word daily and worrying whether Van der Woude “would stick his finger into my anus,” while also facing animosity from the entire team.
“It made it very difficult for me to concentrate on my school work, in class, in the pool and to develop and trust healthy relationships,” Romain said.
Victim witness impact statements are not sworn statements in juvenile court.
In spring 2023, Romain’s parents met multiple times with Jack Grover, the team coach, and Harvard-Westlake administrators to discuss concerns about “a toxic and abusive culture on the boys’ water polo team.”
In October 2023, the complaint alleges that Van der Woude and another teammate whipped Romain in the weight room with a rope, ordering him to “get back to work!” They also frequently complained that they couldn’t see Romain because his skin is too dark.
That fall, Romain’s parents continued to meet with the coach and administrators to address the racial harassment their son was enduring. In December 2023, they learned of the sexual abuse and reported it to school officials.
During a December 13, 2023 meeting with two deans, Romain reportedly grabbed a pillow, folded it in half, and inserted his finger into the crease to clearly demonstrate how he was abused by Van der Woude. Despite this report, the complaint alleges the school failed to contact law enforcement or child protective services as legally required.
Harvard-Westlake released a statement saying it treated reports of inappropriate behavior on the water polo team “with urgency and seriousness,” complied with mandatory reporting obligations, and cooperated with law enforcement.
After the meeting with the deans, the abuse escalated. On February 13, 2024, Romain was assaulted in the shower by a different teammate who “forcefully grabbed Plaintiff’s penis while simultaneously striking him in the testicle,” according to the complaint. His parents reported this assault to the school on February 20, 2024.
Around two weeks later, Van der Woude was arrested on campus and prohibited from playing on the school team.
Romain says in the lawsuit that he left Harvard-Westlake at the end of that school year and moved to Barcelona to escape the abuse and continue pursuing his water polo training. He is seeking damages to be proven at trial and an injunction ordering Harvard-Westlake to take steps to prevent any current or future sexual abuse against students.
“This lawsuit is born of a profound and unforgivable injustice,” said Romain’s attorney, Daniel Watkins. “The truth is laid bare in the complaint unvarnished, unflinching, undeniable. We welcome our day in court.”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-04/harvard-westlake-water-polo-player-assaulted-by-teammates-suit-claims