Hubbard schools sued over ineligibility ruling

The former student says damage was done to his reputation.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

HUBBARD — A city couple is suing the school district, saying the district is responsible for causing their son to miss playing soccer his senior year of high school and costing the family thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Anthony and Susan Greco have filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court in Youngstown on behalf of their son, who turned 18 on Saturday. They are asking the court for $75,000 plus interest for compensatory damages, $450,000 in punitive damages, attorney fees and any other related costs.

Superintendent Richard Buchenic would not to comment on the situation, referring questions to attorneys handling the case. Calls to the Medina offices of Tomino and Latchney LLC were not returned.

According to the lawsuit, Greco, in summer 2006, had been ruled academically ineligible for certain extracurricular activity by the school district, because he purportedly failed two classes in the previous quarter of the school year and did not satisfy the district’s athletic eligibility requirements.

Greco was ruled academically ineligible for the 2006 soccer season.

Favorable ruling

However, Greco, the suit says, was ruled eligible to participate by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

The lawsuit says that Greco was granted a ruling in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court allowing him to play soccer but by the time the court issued that ruling in October 2006, Greco had missed all but the final two games in his senior year.

The suit claims Greco was deprived of his civil rights and denied due process in the actions of school officials’ denying him the opportunity to play soccer.

The suit says Greco also suffered damage to his reputation because of the situation.

“The actions taken by defendants were malicious and undertaken with the intent to injure plaintiffs,” the suit claims.

The district, according to the suit, spent about $25,000 in legal fees to fight the case. The Grecos spent about $19,000, it says.

Calls to the Grecos’ home phone were not answered.

jgoodwin@vindy.com