One of the most decorated preparatory schools in the nation, which has seen future Hollywood stars, professional athletes, and notable politicians walk through its doors, was rocked this week by new allegations that it allowed a star student to create a climate of intimidation.
And he has not been the only one.
Harvard-Westlake School, a $50,000-per-year private institution in Studio City, California, has become the center of litigation involving star water polo player Lucca van der Woude, who has been accused of sexual assault and racial harassment by teammate Aidan Romain, who is Black.
According to Vanity Fair reporting by Deanna Kizis, the updated lawsuit alleges that between August 2022 and February 2024, Romain was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Van der Woude during practices and on campus. The suit also alleges that Romain and other minority students faced racial harassment and discrimination, including being subjected to racial slurs.
A revised complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday escalates the allegations significantly. An unnamed witness told Romain’s attorney, Daniel Watkins, that Van der Woude “had a history of making antisemitic remarks while interacting with peers online and in person” and that he “referred to a Jewish peer using antisemitic slurs and stated words to the effect of: ‘You stupid Jew, die in the oven,’” Vanity Fair reported.
According to the witness, Van der Woude “frequently glorified sexual violence against women, made repeated comments referencing rape, regularly used racial slurs, and made offensive comments concerning slavery and racial domination.” The lawsuit characterizes van der Woude as someone who “harbored and expressed racist, antisemitic, and white-nationalist beliefs during the period in which he sexually and physically abused Plaintiff and other students.”
Romain’s attorney explained the revised complaint’s focus on ideology and violence. “White nationalism and sexual violence come from the same belief: that some people exist to be dominated by others. That is what makes these accounts so troubling,” Watkins said.
In interviews, Black parents at Harvard-Westlake describe an institutional pattern of avoidance and inaction.
“It appears to me that they’re just kind of treading water and hoping this moment will pass,” one parent said. Another suggested deliberate evasion: “It’s almost like the school is trying to shut down the questions and conversations before they even happen.”
One parent described witnessing racism firsthand on school water polo teams. “Not everybody’s experience at Harvard-Westlake is the same. The lack of support, the lack of action, of intervention, letting things get so far out of hand until kids are harmed and families are impacted. Well, that was exactly my experience.”
Parents also cited the school’s response to students wearing Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats following the 2024 presidential election as emblematic of the institution’s approach to accountability.
“We called the administration at the school, and they basically said, ‘Look, we don’t like it. But there’s nothing specifically in our rule book about political attire,’” one parent recounted.
His wife described escalating concerns about how the hats were perceived by Black students. “It was kind of a gloating victory lap thing that they were doing. I told the powers-that-be that MAGA hats read as a threat to some Black students. So, the question was, ‘Well, are you going to change the rule?’”
While the hats eventually stopped appearing, parents remain unclear how the school accomplished this.
“I don’t know how they got them to stop wearing them. There was no follow-up with us,” one parent said.
Vanity Fair reported that the school’s official response dismissed the allegations.
“Many of these outlandish claims bear little-to-no relation to the reality of life at Harvard-Westlake for our students or their families,” a spokesperson said, characterizing the accounts as “a false and sensationalistic narrative” while reaffirming the school’s “unyielding commitment to fostering an environment where all can feel safe and welcome.”
According to the report, for Black families, the institution’s reputation has suffered irreparable damage. One parent who withdrew their child in fall 2024 explained the sentiment bluntly. “The shine is off. I was talking to our education consultant, and she suggested a different school. I said, ‘It’s not a Harvard-Westlake.’ And she was like, ‘Listen, Harvard-Westlake isn’t a Harvard-Westlake anymore.’”
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