Track Star Sues Schools Over Alleged Sexual Abuse

A track star has filed a lawsuit against two schools in California over alleged sexual abuse from her track coach, according to NBC Bay Area. Heather Hennessey ran track for Archbishop Mitty and Los Gatos High School and revealed her coach sexually abused her while attending both schools. She said that Chioke Robinson abused her “the entire season.”

In a news conference, Hennessey revealed that Robinson followed Hennessey when she transferred from Mitty to Los Gatos. Along with filing a lawsuit against the two schools. Hennessey is also taking action against the Diocese of San Jose, which oversees Mitty High School. She said the schools did nothing when she sounded the alarm, which led to her stop running altogether.

“I pray that these schools and all adults that see this, know that kids’ bodies are off-limits,” she said. Robinson was arrested in 2019 for allegedly sexually abusing girls. His preliminary hearing is set for June. The catholic diocese, which overseas Mitty, released a statement, saying it hasn’t been served with the complaint.

“While the Diocese of San José and Archbishop Mitty High School have not been served with the complaint against Archbishop Mitty High School, we take all and any allegations of abuse seriously and remain resolute in our support for victim-survivors, irrespective of the dates of abuse,” the statement read. “We welcome the opportunity to review the complaint, but we are not able to otherwise comment on the litigation at this time. Archbishop Mitty faculty and staff receive child abuse and neglect awareness training as mandated reporters and are aware of their mandatory reporting requirements regarding allegations of child abuse and sexual misconduct.

Los Gatos stated that it can’t comment on the lawsuit but said the district works hard to have a safe learning environment for all students. This comes at an interesting time for Los Gatos as a report came out of many allegations of sexual abuse at the school. Two students at Los Gatos saw Hennessey speak and showed their support for her.

“There aren’t the words to say how much her actions have inspired us. It makes me tear up so much,” said Sofia Rossi, a senior at Los Gatos High School. Hennessey said she won a league championship as a freshman on the cross-country team at Mitty. When she transferred to Los Gatos, Hennessey won a national championship.