Alleged Wilson victims file civil suit

WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Wilson hazing case is far from over. Two of the alleged victims are now taking the school district to court.

Wilson coaches Thomas Baia and William Atlas were cleared of the criminal charges accusing them of doing nothing to stop the alleged hazing incident, but the two alleged victims are still moving forward with filing a civil suit against the school district.

Attorney Terry Connors said, "Our case was never dependent on the criminal case against the coaches."

Connors is representing the two boys and their families who believe the district didn't do enough to protect them given an apparent history of hazing there.

Connors said, "There should have been put into place certain practices and procedures that would've eliminated this conduct, would've addressed it in a much more aggressive fashion, and would've avoided harm to any of the kids."

Connors would not elaborate on what kind of hazing has taken place in the past or on what exactly happened on the bus last April.

A judge is still deciding on the guilt or innocence of two of the accused baseball players, but Connors says the guilty plea by the third player could help in the civil suit, "He's confirmed that something happened on the bus because it was subject of a plea of guilty, just as we've said all along."

Connors says the goal of his clients is to not only be awarded damages, but to prevent students from becoming future victims, "They are wonderful young men. They are heroes in my opinion. The community of Wilson ought to celebrate these kids for their courage and for their willingness to come forward."

The Wilson School superintendent tells News 4 he can't comment on the civil suit and directed us to the district's law firm. The attorneys have not yet provided us with a statement.