Orchard Lake School responds to a lawsuit that describes a series of sexual assault charges

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A lawsuit filed by father and son alleges that students at a Metro Detroit high school attacked and forced their son to participate in sexualized games during a retreat in 2019.

The father, a longtime teacher at St. Mary’s Preparatory High School in Orchard Lake, and his son, a student, filed a lawsuit outlining a series of sexualized games allegedly played by high school student athletes. The lawsuit alleges that when the son chose not to participate in the games, the other students attacked him.

“The main example alleged in the complaint is the naked bowling alley: where they put soap and water all over the bathroom floor and then throw naked bodies at each other. All the boys up there. And they are left alone to do that, ”said Bob Palmer, a father and son’s lawyer in the case against St. Mary’s employees.

“One of my clients did not want to participate and was really attacked in his room, grabbed … they tried to drag him and gave in,” added Palmer.

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Both the father and the son are claiming that the Catholic school Orchard Lake knew about the so-called naked games that the boys played at the school’s annual “Kairos retreat” at the Colombiere Retreat Center in Clarkston – but supposedly did nothing to stop it. The lawsuit states that when the son did not want to participate in the games, the other students dragged him from his room and tried to strip him – which lawyer Palmer says was essentially sexual assault.

“When everyone is naked and you are playing naked bodies with exposed body parts against other individuals, and when you are grabbing someone in your room and all they are wearing is underwear, and you are grabbing their thighs and their stomachs and grabbing him under the covers … I certainly think that’s it, ”said Palmer, describing the boy’s experience.

The alleged incident occurred in the spring of 2019.

In a statement, St. Mary’s Prep said: “The administration conducted an investigation immediately after learning of these charges, which were overseen by a member of our Board. We are confident that, once this information is made public, it will prove that the school acted in a totally appropriate manner. “

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Palmer says that when his son’s father complained about the incident, he was fired from his teaching position at the college.

“It’s kind of ironic that the battered individual is the teacher’s son – they’re both there,” said Palmer. “It is an interesting case because both were strongly impacted by this set of events.”

Stephen Gross, president of the Orchard Lake School Board of Regents, replied:

“While it is inappropriate to comment on the dismissal of any employee, there are several false claims made in this process. We intend to present the truth in court. “

More: Local 4 Defenders Reports