The Tumwater School District faces tort claims totaling $150 million after three men filed civil lawsuits alleging a former high school football coach sexually abused them as children in the 1980s.

The lawsuits, filed in Thurston County Superior Court in January, accuse the district of negligently hiring and retaining coach Paul Beattie despite having "actual and/or constructive knowledge" that he had a history of inappropriate contact with minors.

Jury trials are tentatively scheduled for November and December 2026.

Beattie is named as the alleged abuser but is not a defendant. The complaints target only the district, alleging it failed to protect children connected to the Tumwater High School football program.

What the complaints allege

The three plaintiffs say Beattie groomed and sexually abused them when they were between 9 and 15 years old. The alleged abuse occurred at the Tumwater High School gym, locker rooms, athletic fields and at Beattie's home, according to The Olympian, which first reported the lawsuits on Thursday, Aug. 6.

The complaints also allege the district failed to train employees on how to identify, report and respond to suspected abuse.

Beattie's criminal record

Court records show two separate Thurston County Superior Court criminal cases from the 1980s. In 1986, Beattie pleaded guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes. After completing probation, he returned to court in 1988 to withdraw the plea, and the case was dismissed.

In a separate 1988 case, a jury convicted Beattie of indecent liberties. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison.

Lead attorney Sydney E. Codd of Rush Hannula Harkins and Kyler PLLC in Tacoma confirmed the 1986 case is related to one of the three current plaintiffs. The 1988 conviction involved abuse of one of Beattie's relatives.

"The criminal records we received are sparse due to the passage of time and their retention policy," Codd said.

District's response

District spokesperson Laurie Wiedenmeyer said in a statement that the allegations are difficult to hear and that, if substantiated, the district has deep sympathy for anyone who experienced harm. She declined to comment further because of active litigation.

Wiedenmeyer added that no current administrators or staff were employed by the district during the time of the alleged abuse or had firsthand knowledge of the circumstances described in the lawsuits.

In court filings, the district has denied legal liability and asked the court to dismiss the complaints with prejudice.

Financial exposure and statewide context

Before filing suit, each plaintiff submitted a tort claim to the district seeking $50 million in damages. The lawsuits themselves seek unspecified damages. Codd said she has not yet sent a formal demand, noting that cases grow stronger as more evidence is gathered.

The lawsuits come amid a statewide insurance crisis for school districts. Around 130 Washington districts received notices in mid-May that their rates for the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool were rising by an average of 45%, driven largely by historical sexual abuse claims, according to the Washington State Standard. It is unclear whether Tumwater is a member of that pool. Seattle Schools paid a former student $16 million in 2024 for sex abuse by a coach. Federal Way Public Schools paid $15 million to two victims assaulted by a teacher.

A 2020 Washington Supreme Court decision in W.H. v. Olympia School District established that school districts are strictly liable for abuse by their employees, even if the district was unaware of the harm.

What's next

Both sides are still building their cases. Washington's revised statute of limitations allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse that occurred before June 6, 2024, to file suit within three years of discovering their injury was caused by the abuse.

The law firm issued a news release on Aug. 6 seeking additional witnesses or survivors with information about Beattie. Anyone with relevant information can contact attorney Codd at (253) 242-8143 or [email protected]. Jury trials in the three cases are tentatively set to begin in November and December.