It was announced on Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed against Tampa Bay Lightning and University of South Florida assistant coach Aaron Humphrey. The suit accuses Humphrey of multiple cases of sexual assault.
Lightning hit with sexual-assault lawsuit by former women’s hockey coach https://t.co/jvAzGmrFBQ
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) April 22, 2020
Lawsuit Filed Against Tampa Bay Lightning Executive
The 23-year-old woman filing the suit formerly served as a youth coach in the Lightning organization, joining the team in 2016. The case’s original accusation is said to have occurred while the woman was on a work-related trip with five male coworkers, including Humphrey. It is alleged that Humphries forced himself upon the woman after she refused his advances. No criminal charges were made following the attack.
In March 2018, the woman again had an alleged run-in with Humphrey, this time at a local bar. She alleges that he again assaulted her. In June, the woman pursued a formal meeting with Lightning executive Jay Feaster. She alleges that she hoped to discuss these incidents and file a formal complaint. Her request for an in-person meeting was allegedly denied. Instead, Feaster told the woman that her complaints would be mentioned to ‘Human Resources’, where they would “handle the situation” per the suit. Despite this, later conversations between the woman and an HR employee saw the employee allegedly say, “Oh, I heard about [the incidents] but that’s in the past and doesn’t matter…” according to the lawsuit.
August 2018, saw the woman fired from her role as a youth girls-hockey coach. She was released for a breach of company policy. No other specifics were released.
These incidents aren’t alone, though. The woman also claims that during her time with Tampa, she was regularly subject to harsh ridicule and discrimination as a result of her sex. The lawsuit is not facing Humphrey but instead lists ‘Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment’ as the defendant. It seeks punitive damages for resulting PTSD, back pay to her dismissal, and reinstatement of her job.
Humphrey still serves as a Tampa Bay Lightning executive. He is listed as one of four Community Hockey Coordinators. Neither he or the team have commented publically on the matter.
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