Lightning Named in Sexual Assault Lawsuit by Former Girls' Hockey Coach

A 23-year-old woman who worked as a coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning's girls' hockey program has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL franchise.

Anastasia Dawson of the Tampa Bay Times reported the lawsuit's details:

"A former youth hockey coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning says she lost her job after telling the organization's human resources department she was sexually assaulted by a team executive during a company trip, according to a lawsuit.

"The Hillsborough County woman, 23, is seeking punitive damages for post-traumatic stress disorder, back pay to her dismissal August 2018, and reinstatement to her job with the Lightning's community outreach program. She worked as a coach for the girls hockey program.

"According to the lawsuit, the woman began working for the Lightning in 2016 and was repeatedly 'subjected to disparate, discriminatory, and harassing treatment based on her sex.'"

The woman, who was not identified, said that Lightning community hockey coordinator and University of South Florida associate hockey coach Aaron Humphrey sexually assaulted her.

Criminal charges have not been filed against him, per Circuit Court Clerks office records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett did not comment, citing the franchise's policy of refraining from remarks on pending litigation. Wickett said that Humphrey also had no comment.

Dawson provided more details from the ex-youth hockey coach's lawsuit:

"The assault occurred during an overnight company trip to Pensacola by the woman and five men, the lawsuit says. She repeatedly resisted Humphrey's advances but he sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit says.

"When she returned to work, the woman was 'scared and unsure as to how to handle the situation' and at first tried to act as if nothing had happened. But the harassment continued as she refused to engage in a sexual relationship with Humphrey, the lawsuit says."

The lawsuit also says she saw Humphrey at a Tampa bar in March 2018 and asked him to leave her alone. The lawsuit says Humphrey laughed and shoved his hand down her pants in response.

The lawsuit says the woman dealt with far greater scrutiny for her performance in addition to further discrimination at work. The lawsuit says she requested a meeting with vice president of community hockey development Jay Feaster, who said that he would refer the case to human resources.

The lawsuit says she was fired for a "violation in company policy" on Aug. 7, 2018. According to the lawsuit, when she asked the team's HR department about the sexual harassment complaints, a representative from the department replied: "Oh, I heard about that, but that's in the past and doesn't matter."

The news comes in the midst of the NHL's current suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no timetable for the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.