GATES MILLS (OH)
Idea Stream [Cleveland, OH]
June 22, 2026
By Conor Morris
A federal lawsuit filed last year against Gilmour Academy, a private Catholic school in Gates Mills, alleges the nationally-recognized hockey program at the school has a “history” of issues with hazing and sexual abuse among players.
The suit alleges a 16-year-old student was sexually assaulted and bullied by other Gilmour hockey players in a hazing ritual known as “The Gauntlet” during a trip to Lake Placid for the Northwood Invitational Hockey Tournament in January 2022.
The lawsuit was filed by a former student using the pseudonym “Mark” in August 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. It describes the student as an “elite” hockey player who was recruited to Gilmour’s program in 2021.
“Unbeknownst to Mark or his family, Gilmour’s hockey program had a history of severe hazing that included sexually assaulting and exploiting younger boys in the program. Upon information and belief, this conduct was condoned by Defendant Gilmour and Defendant Coaches,” the suit reads.
The suit alleges older student athletes on the hockey team “engaged in forcible touching, hazing, bullying, assaulting, and engaging in sexual misconduct” against younger players under the guise of participating in “The Gauntlet.” It claims coaches did not put proper procedures in place to check on the students during the trip, or to prevent the hazing activities. During the trip, two older students sexually assaulted Mark in his hotel room on multiple occasions and filmed it on the Snapchat social media application, the suit alleges.
The suit names Gilmour Academy, several coaches and employees, and several older students on the hockey team.
Kathy Kenny, head of school at Gilmour Academy, said the school did investigate the allegations contained in the lawsuit and said they were “swiftly addressed” by the school.
“Gilmour Academy has prioritized, and continues to prioritize, the safety and well-being of our students above all else and strictly enforces our no-tolerance hazing policies,” she said in a June 18 statement. “While we cannot share details related to ongoing litigation, it is important to know that this matter, which took place more than four years ago, was fully investigated and swiftly addressed by the school in cooperation with proper authorities. While the nature of this case is troubling, we stand by the prior investigations, which did not reveal any known history of hazing within the Gilmour Academy Prep Hockey program, its coaching staff, or, more broadly, within Gilmour Academy. We will continue to keep the former student and their family in our prayers.”
Court filings show the school did file several motions to dismiss the case late last year. The judge has not yet ruled on those motions, nor has a trial date been set.
Two of the former student defendants were expelled from Gilmour Academy because of the incident, the initial complaint alleges, but one student reportedly was not, nor was he ever disciplined.
“After these incidents of sexual abuse and assault, Mark continued playing hockey, but his performance drastically declined. As a result of the trauma he experienced, he missed a few games and all of the playoffs,” the complaint reads. “…As a result of the alleged causes of action herein, Mark suffered and continues to suffer serious physical and emotional damages.”
The suit demands a jury trial and compensatory damages.
The allegations of hazing going ignored by the school in the suit mirror several lawsuits filed last year against another private Catholic school in the region, Youngstown’s Ursuline High School, and its football program. Ursuline has denied wrongdoing in those suits.