The Oregonian | By Aimee Green | January 07, 2025
The Beaverton School District has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the mother of a Westview High School football player who claimed he was abruptly awoken in the middle of the night during a summer sports camp and slapped in the face by his coach.
The 17-year-old football player, now in his senior year, was among a dozen teens attending the overnight sports camp in June 2024 when prosecutors allege they were slapped, grabbed or otherwise harassed by their coach, Jamal Jones, as the players slept in a gym at Linfield University in McMinnville. According to court papers, Jones told police he had downed four beers before embarking on the 1 a.m. spree, which startled players and prompted them to pack up and leave.
The 17-year-old’s mother has been the only parent to file a lawsuit against the school district. No one has filed suit against Jones, who is scheduled to contest 12 counts of misdemeanor harassment during a four-day criminal trial in Yamhill County Circuit Court next week.
Michael Fuller, the Portland attorney who is representing the 17-year-old in the case, declined to comment. But in court papers Fuller filed last month, he outlined the terms of the settlement — including that the teen would receive about $42,500 to help pay for college. About $7,500 of the settlement will go toward court fees and the cost of retaining an expert. Fuller is not charging attorney fees, according to his court filing.
A spokesperson for the school district, Shellie Bailey-Shah, declined to comment Monday.
The teen’s mother told The Oregonian/OregonLive in August, when the lawsuit was filed, that Jones’ slap left a red welt on her son’s face for hours, but also deeply shook him psychologically.
Jones resigned as Westview High’s coach the day after the incident. He is also a Hillsboro police officer and has remained on paid administrative leave as of Tuesday.
