CHICAGO (CN) - A junior college basketball player claims his coach relentlessly requested homosexual favors and offered to pay his rent in return, forcing him to transfer schools and forego scholarship money.
Patrick Terrell filed a Petition for Discovery against Frank Lollino Jr., Morton College Community College District 527, and the Chicago Board of Education on behalf of Lane Technical High School.
Terrell attended Morton Community College, where Lollino was basketball coach from 2006 to 2011, according to Terrell's petition in Cook County Court.
Terrell claims that in 2008 Lollino recruited him "to enroll at Morton and play basketball for the college."
"At some point in late 2010, Lollino set up an arrangement whereby Terrell would have housing close to campus, with Lollino acting as a middleman between Terrell and the landlord to collect and turn over the rent," according to the petition.
It continues: "These housing arrangements were made, in whole or in part, so that Terrell would be able to rejoin the basketball team for the 2010-2011 season.
"Beginning in or around the winter of 2010, and continuing thereafter until summer of 2011, Lollino began to engage in a course of conduct that caused Terrell to suffer extreme emotional distress and anxiety, including but not limited to:
"a. Repeatedly and graphically describing to Terrell various sexual acts that Lollino had performed in the past with both males and females.
"b. Constantly inviting and urging Terrell to engage in similar acts with Lollino and others.
"c. Offering payment and/or housing assistance in exchange for sexual favors. ...
"e. Constantly contacting and harassing Terrell at all hours of the day and night, via text messages, Facebook posts, phone calls, and in-person visits, even cornering him after practices or games and/or pressuring him to take rides in his vehicle. ...
"g. Implying that Terrell might suffer adverse consequences as a basketball player and student if he did not comply with Lollino's requests and demands."
Terrell says: "This continuous and relentless course of conduct by Lollino eventually caused Terrell to leave both Morton and its basketball team, to forgo scholarship assistance that he had been receiving and to transfer to another community college.
"Yet even thereafter, Lollino continued to contact Terrell and allude to their unfinished 'business,' and how they needed to 'work something simple out,' implying that Terrell should come back to Morton, and have his rent covered by Lollino in exchange for sexual favors; the last such communication having been made by Lollino in or around the summer of 2011."
Terrell says he hired legal counsel "which led, upon information and belief, to Lollino's separation from Morton in or around the middle of August of 2011."
But Terrell says "despite Terrell's reports of sexual harassment to the proper officials at Morton, Morton allowed Lollino to continue as head basketball coach for a period thereafter."
Terrell says that before and during some portion of this time, Lollino had worked as a basketball coach at Lane Tech.
The complaint states: "Upon information and belief, while Lollino was at Lane, and prior to his being hired at Morton, Lane performed a review or investigation of Lollino concerning allegations of inappropriate conduct or commentary on his part toward basketball players and/or other students.
"Upon information and belief, Lane took certain precautionary or disciplinary measures against Lollino during the course of and/or subsequent to this review or investigation, and at a time prior to his being hired by Morton."
Terrell says he "continues to suffer severe emotional aftereffects of distress and anxiety and to constantly worry about the impact of these unwarranted, unpleasant and demeaning incidents upon his reputation and his future as a student, basketball player, and human being."
He seeks a court order requiring Lollino, Morton College and the Chicago Board of Education to answer all his discovery requests within 28 days, so he may evaluate his potential legal claims. He also seeks a protective order to prevent the public disclosure of sensitive information.
Terrell is represented by Amy Lynn Strege with Finn & Finn.
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