Oak Park Player Files Suit Over His Haircut : Jurisprudence: Junior varsity lineman says he has been harassed and ridiculed by coaches because his hair isn’t short enough after three trims.

A lawsuit against Oak Park High School, the school district and two of its football coaches was filed in Ventura Superior Court Thursday on behalf of a junior varsity football player who asserts that he has been subjected to discrimination and harassment because of the length of his hair.

Lucky Kellener, a Van Nuys attorney, filed the suit on behalf of Robert Green, a 14-year-old Oak Park freshman, who is seeking general damages against the high school and district, and punitive damages against varsity Coach Dick Billingsley and junior varsity Coach Dennis Ritterbush.

The suit does not seek specific monetary damages. Kellener said it would be updated in 45 days to include a dollar amount.

The Oak Park School District on Tuesday denied a $100,000 claim filed by the Green family.

Green, a lineman, asserts that the football program’s haircut policy discriminates against him based on gender because Elena Andrade, a female player, has not been required to cut her hair short.

Green wears his hair in a medium-length style, touching his ears on the side and his collar in the back. Complying with coaches’ wishes, Green said he has had three haircuts since the beginning of summer that have taken five to seven inches off the length.

He refuses to cut his hair any shorter. “I’m making a stand,” Green said. “I love football, otherwise I would have quit already, but I’m not going to cut my hair anymore.”

Because of his hair, Green says he has been openly ridiculed by coaches Billingsley and Ritterbush, and excluded from games and some practice activities.

Kellener said the suit would be dropped on three conditions: that Oak Park coaches apologize to Green in private, that they apologize to him in public and that they allow him to play in a game.

School officials, including district superintendent Marilyn Lippiatt and Oak Park Principal Jeff Chancer, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Ritterbush did not return telephone messages left by The Times. Billingsley said coaches had been advised by school officials not to speak with the media.

Lippiatt said the district does not have a policy regarding the length of hair for athletes, but said safety is always a concern.

“We have safety rules that apply to all students on the field,” Lippiatt said. “The rules have been communicated to all students who are participating in football.”

Green’s father scoffed at the idea that his son’s hair, which barely hangs out the back of his helmet, could cause an injury if it was grabbed during play.

“There is no safety reason for this,” said Morton Green, a dentist who has worked as a team doctor at high school games, including Oak Park’s. “Something is strange here that they are picking on a 14-year-old boy. They don’t practice him, they don’t do anything with him.”

Green continues to practice with the team. He has been held out of all three games--the first because he left his equipment and uniform at home, the second as a disciplinary action for missing a practice and the first game, and the third for committing a “team violation” unrelated to his hair, Billingsley said.

Kellener, the family’s attorney, said he will get expert testimony from doctors dismissing the safety issue if the case goes to court.

“Our doctors have indicated that [the safety issue] is nonsense,” Kellener said.

“We got their attention with the lawsuit,” Morton Green said, referring to the school district. “The only way to get their attention is to sue them. I think the community is going to wake up because it’s going to cost them.”

Morton Green said he started legal proceedings after Robert was humiliated during practice by his coaches and school officials failed to correct the situation.

The suit accuses Ritterbush of battery, alleging that he once pulled Robert’s hair. Billingsley is accused of slander for allegedly calling Robert “a feminine name” in front of his teammates.

Not mentioned in the suit is Morton Green’s claim, made during an interview, that the car of his older son, David, a junior on the varsity, was vandalized after he walked out of practice to protest his brother’s benching by coaches.

Ryan McDonald, team manager for the Oak Park varsity and junior varsity, said most players, at one time or another, are the subject of needling or joking by coaches.

“As much as I’ve seen, the coaches treat him just like any other player,” McDonald said. “I understand he doesn’t want to cut [his hair] because it’s a style he’s had for a long time, but everybody makes sacrifices out here. To me, it’s a joke.”

Susan Green, Robert’s mother, said her son had no intention of starting a controversy. “He’s not trying to make a statement,” she said. “He’s just a boy who likes his hair. He’s not a troublemaker.”

Contributing: Darin Esper.