A water polo prodigy has spoken out after accusing one of his teammates of racism and other serious forms of violence.
Aidan Romain gave an interview to Vanity Fair in which he detailed his traumatizing experience at Los Angeles’ Harvard-Westlake School and claimed the elite school failed to intervene to protect him.
The alleged perpetrator named in his lawsuit is Lucca Van der Woude, a former water polo teammate.
Highlights
- Aidan Romain has sued his former high school and a former water polo teammate, claiming he was subjected to "blatant racism” for years.
- He also said Lucca Van der Woude stuck his finger in his buttocks several times while the school failed to intervene.
- Romain alleges that he was “whipped” and repeatedly called racial slurs in front of school staff when he was a minor.
Aidan Romain, 18, has sued a former water polo teammate and his former high school, alleging years of violence and discrimination
Image credits: Aidan Romain
Romain, now 18 years old, claimed Van der Woude frequently grabbed his buttocks and inserted his finger when they were together in the pool.
“I was like, ‘Why did you do that? What are you doing?’” Romain told the magazine of the first time he felt the as*ault. “He just laughed.”
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The athlete also said Van der Woude and a player named Kim “constantly dehumanized” him and repeatedly called him a racial slur.
“It was just straight, blatant racism,” he described. “They weren’t trying to hide it. When the lights would turn off, they would say, ‘Where’s Aidan?’ or ‘Where’s arbitrary black person?’”
In his complaint, the teenager alleges Kim and Van der Woude “whipped” him in the weight room with a jump rope in what Romain described as “a re-enactment of sl*very,” while saying, “Get back to work!”
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His white teammates allegedly referred to him as the team’s “secret weapon” during night games, saying his skin was too dark for rivals to see.
These racist comments were frequently made in front of Harvard-Westlake staff, who failed to take action to protect the then-minor, Romain said.
According to the suit, Romain and another Black player were intimidated by their white teammates during a trip to Spain with the Los Angeles Premier Water Polo Club.
Image credits: Arsenio Waterpolo
During the trip, a teammate allegedly began chanting the N-word at another Black player on the team bus.
When that player told him to stop, another teammate warned Romain and the other athlete that nobody would believe “two Black players” over the rest of the group.
Romain’s parents said his son was subjected to s*xually violent, discriminatory behavior for more than two years, beginning when he joined the varsity team as a minor in August 2022 and culminating in February 2024.
Romain and his parents say they alerted school officials in 2023, but the investigation was quickly closed
Image credits: Vanity Fair
The 18-year-old and his parents formally reported racial ab*se to the school in 2023, but the institution allegedly closed the investigation within days.
Romain’s mother met with the water polo team’s head coach, who “appeared sympathetic” and “promised to keep Plaintiff safe and to protect him moving forward,” something the teen claims did not happen.
Image credits: Orange County Register/SCNG/Jeff Gritchen
In February 2024, after water polo practice, a teammate cornered Romain in the campus outdoor showers and “brutally attacked him, grabbing his p*nis and striking him repeatedly in the testicles over a perceived verbal slight,” the suit states.
Romain said he reported the attack to the school, but was punished by being “demoted, isolated, and suspended,” causing him to miss four games.
"I was in shock that Aidan could have told people at the school and no one did anything,” said Alex Romain, the victim’s father. “No one said anything. No one told us.”
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Image credits: benny55253
The filing read, “Time and time again, on Harvard-Westlake’s campus — in its pool and elsewhere — Lucca van der Woude approached Plaintiff from behind to ambush and digitally penetrate him.
Plaintiff reported this ab*se to Harvard-Westlake immediately after learning that Lucca van der Woude was a*saulting another teammate. But Harvard-Westlake did nothing.”
Van der Woude, a star water polo player at the school, was detained on campus in 2024 over alleged misconduct
Image credits: usawaterpolo
Weeks after the shower incident, Van der Woude was arrested on campus for s*xual as*ault. A few months later, he reportedly admitted in juvenile court to digital penetration against a minor as part of a plea deal.
In addition to filing a civil lawsuit against Van der Woude, Romain and his family have sued Harvard-Westlake, school president Richard B Commons, and water polo coach Jack Grover on Friday (February 27).
Van der Woude’s attorneys released a statement denying Romain’s allegations against their client.
“Lucca denies all the allegations against him as we understand were made by the Romain team. There have been no witnesses to these claims and there were no complaints for over 18 months,” they said, as per Vanity Fair.
“We do not intend to litigate this matter in the media. Mr. Van der Woude’s denials and other responses will be clear and unambiguous in his defense to the Complaint at hand.”
The teenager has filed civil claims against Van der Woude, school president Richard B. Commons, and coach Jack Grover
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Image credits: Aidan Romain
Harvard-Westlake School, a predominantly white private school, also denies wrongdoing. In a statement, a spokesperson insisted that the institution acted appropriately and “unequivocally disputes many of these allegations that mischaracterize facts and the school’s actions.”
The spokesperson said the school “cooperated completely with law enforcement” and treated reports of inappropriate behavior “with urgency and seriousness.”
The emotional distress caused by his teammates forced Romain to relocate to Barcelona, Spain, in 2024 to continue his water polo career, while Van de Woude went on to represent Team USA internationally.
People were outraged that the school failed to take action to protect the minor from his teammates’ attacks
