Former Mt. Lebanon High School coach sued by team members
Four members of the Mt. Lebanon High School girls’ volleyball team have sued their former head coach, who in the meantime has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing by Mt. Lebanon police.
The civil suit, filed April 25 in U.S. District Court, claims in part that Brian Begor “began to engage in unwelcome and unwanted conduct of a sexual nature with the minor plaintiffs, as well as other minor-female volleyball team members,” following his hiring in April 2015.
According to police, the investigative services unit “did not find any action or information that indicated the presence of criminal activity” after a representative of Mt. Lebanon School District contacted the department regarding concerns raised by a two team members.
Regarding the lawsuit, the school district and athletic director John Grogan also are named as defendants
“Before Begor was announced as the girls’ volleyball head coach, former players, volleyball coaches and parents spoke with Grogan to warn him about Begor’s past and dissuade him from hiring Begor,” the document states.
The district issued a statement that addresses the hiring:
“This individual’s clearances showed no violations of any kind. He was coaching at another area school district prior to coming to Mt. Lebanon, and his performance there was reviewed with appropriate administrators at that district prior to the Mt. Lebanon position being offered to him for the 2015 season.”
According to the lawsuit, the district received information in 1995 that Begor was involved in “inappropriate contact” with two then-minor members of the Mt. Lebanon team while he was coaching the Pittsburgh Golden Triangles. As a result, the document continues, the district subsequently “prohibited Begor from entering school grounds or being anywhere near the gym,” and he was dismissed from his coaching position.
This past year, Begor resigned as Mt. Lebanon’s head coach Nov. 10, following his suspension by the district on Nov. 6.
“After the end of the 2015 girls’ volleyball season in October, some members of the high school girls’ volleyball team informed high school personnel of concerns about their head coach,” the district’s statement about the lawsuit explains. “The high school administration immediately investigated. Due to the nature of their concerns, the high school administration promptly notified ChildLine and the Mt. Lebanon Police Department.”
Police said that the investigative services unit’s juvenile detective asked the district to send a letter families of all players asking for information about “suspicious or strange activities between the girls’ volleyball coach and members of the team,” according to the department’s statement. “The letter further encouraged anyone who felt victimized in any way to contact the Mt. Lebanon School District and/or police department. Subsequently, the Police Department did not receive any complaints that indicated criminal acts or warranted criminal charges.”
The lawsuit, filed on the plaintiffs’ behalf by Downtown Pittsburgh attorney Samuel Cordes, claims that the plaintiffs have experienced “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.”
The plaintiffs demand a jury trial, and they seek compensatory and punitive damages, plus the expense of litigation and attorney fees.