Family Signals Suit Against District Over Case Involving Coach

The family of a 17-year-old former Dominguez High School basketball player on Wednesday filed a notice of its intent to sue the Compton Unified School District for ignoring alleged sexual abuse by renowned Coach Russell Otis.

At a press conference at the Wilshire Boulevard law offices of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., the teenager’s mother, father, uncle and grandmother said that Dominguez teachers knew of but did not report previous alleged sexual activity between male students and Otis. The family members and their attorney, Randy McMurray of Cochran’s firm, also criticized the district for allowing Otis to attend his team’s games even as a criminal case against the coach goes forward.

Otis, whose teams have won four state titles and one national championship, has been on unpaid leave from his Dominguez job since being arrested in November on charges that he groped, sodomized and performed oral sex on the student at the Otis’ Carson townhouse in September and October. But that has not kept the coach, who has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, away from the team. He attended a Jan. 15 game at Loyola Marymount, according to a team member’s parent. He received an ovation from a crowd at a Dominguez home game on Jan. 12.

“I’m very, very angry with the people in Compton,” said the mother of the 17-year-old, who has since transferred to another school in a different city.

Wednesday’s notice, which is almost certain to be followed by a civil lawsuit later this spring, represents another headache for the Compton school district, which has been run by the state Department of Education since 1993. Otis is one of three high-profile school employees--the others were an ROTC instructor and a band leader--accused of sexual misconduct with students in recent months.

A lawsuit also would create complications in the criminal case against Otis. The coach’s lawyer has argued that the 17-year-old’s allegation is a fabrication designed to win money for his family. Otis is scheduled for trial in March on two felony charges of sodomy and oral copulation and a misdemeanor charge of child molestation.

School district spokesman Fausto Capobianco declined to comment, citing Otis’ upcoming criminal trial and the prospect of civil litigation. He said there was no rule prohibiting Otis from attending games as a fan, as long as he keeps his distance from the players. “We’re doing everything we can to protect our students,” Capobianco said.

Privately, however, district officials said in recent weeks that they have been concerned about Otis’ attendance at the games. They also have expressed frustration with Dominguez officials, who have been slow to provide their superiors with information on the case, and they have hired an outside investigator.

The state-appointed administrator of the system, Randolph E. Ward, wrote to school board member Saul Lankster, a Dominguez parent who has accompanied Otis to the games.

In the Jan. 12 memo, obtained by The Times, Ward wrote that he could not stop Lankster from attending games with Otis but suggested that Lankster reconsider doing so. “It seems to me that as an elected member of the governing board of the district, you have a responsibility to consider what impact your actions may have on district officials,” Ward wrote.

Lankster said Wednesday: “There’s a principle here that we need to follow: innocent until proven guilty.”

A highly placed district source said this week that Ward is considering two courses of action to control Otis. Under one option, the district could fire the coach, citing his lack of a full teaching credential.

Under the other, Ward could try to bar the shoe and apparel giant Nike from the school. Nike sponsors high school teams, including Dominguez, and employs Otis as a consultant. That money gives the team considerable independence, and is providing Otis an income while he is on leave. A lawyer familiar with the situation confirmed the source’s account Wednesday.

A Nike spokesman confirmed that Otis remains a consultant but declined to comment further.

Otis’ attorney, Leonard B. Levine, said the coach will continue to attend games as he sees fit. “He is not going to be intimidated by false allegations into becoming a hermit or a recluse,” Levine said. “And once he is exonerated, I’m confident that the district will welcome him back with open arms.”