Students sue Sumner-Bonney Lake school district over ex-coach's alleged sexual abuse

Sumner HS basketball players plan to file lawsuit against district, former coach for alleged sexual abuse

Four Sumner High School basketball players and their parents plan to sue the school's former head basketball coach Jacob Jackson and the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District over claims of sexual assault.

SUMNER, Wash. - Four former students who came forward with allegations of sexual assault by an ex-Sumner High School basketball coach have now sued the school district for failing to protect them.

They say the district failed to protect them from ex-basketball coach Jacob Jackson, despite two known complaints about his interactions with students.

In April, Jackson was charged with child rape and molestation in connection to several accusations made against him over the years.
Along with the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, Jackson and his wife and Jackson’s athletic company are named in the suit.

The suit claims the district:

Failed to take precautions to protect its pupils from danger, like sexual abuse
Failed to "timely adopt and enforce policies and procedures to identify sexual predators, prevent their employment, agency, association, or participation in SBLSD activities, and remove them from their positions"
Failed to adopt and enforce policies to monitor and prevent employees from having inappropriate electronic contact with students

The center of the suit claims Jackson bombarded students with social media and text messages, but he managed to stay on the job.

"As a result of the actions of Defendant Jacob Jackson, and any other acts and omissions of Defendant Jacob Jackson that may emerge as the case progresses, [the victim] suffered, and continues to suffer extreme emotional distress, personal anguish, fear, humiliation, pain and suffering, in an amount to be proven at trial," the suit read.

The suit did not specify the amount of damages the victims are seeking.

Last October, a separate suit was filed against Jackson for sexual assault and exploitation.

Damages being sought in that suit were unnamed.

The suit said the victims were seeking damages "resulting from medical and psychological treatments, lost earning and lost earning capacity and other special expenses, both in the past and continuing into the future in amounts to be determined at the time of trial."

FOX 13 reached out to the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District for comment and has yet to hear back.

Jackson is also going through the criminal courts as well as the civil courts. On May 11, he pleaded not guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to: