Former student files lawsuit accusing ex-Evansville coach Walter McCarty of sexual assault
A former Evansville student filed a lawsuit against the university on Monday claiming that she was sexually assaulted by former men’s basketball coach Walter McCarty, according to the Evansville Courier and Press.
The former student was not identified in the lawsuit. She worked as a student athletic trainer there. She claimed that McCarty sent her inappropriate messages on Instagram, Snapchat and over text, per the report. She said that she went to McCarthy’s home in Dec. 2019, which is where he “sexually assaulted her by touching her breasts and buttocks, and digitally penetrating her.”
The student reported the incident to a campus counselor three days later, per the report, and said that McCarthy threatened to retaliate.
The student also said that the school received reports of several other disturbing allegations against McCarthy, including inappropriate actions with a woman at a restaurant, sending “persistent and unwanted” messages to a school employee and an athletic department employee, sending inappropriate texts and messages to current and former students, and “initiating unwanted physical contact” with a female student, among other things.
“The female students and employees who experienced this pattern of harassment and sexual misconduct are real people, real women who simply wanted a safe environment to learn and work in, and our university failed us,” the unnamed former student said in a news release, via the Evansville Courier and Press. “I am heartbroken that my school knew about Coach McCarty’s misconduct before what happened to me, and looked the other way. I will continue to go through this difficult process of holding the university accountable, because I want to prevent other women from going through the same thing I did.”
McCarty denied 'totally fabricated story'
McCarty denied the allegations Monday.
“It’s untrue, and I can’t wait for the evidence to present itself that it’s a totally fabricated story," McCarty said, via the Evansville Courier and Press. "I’ve never assaulted anyone in my 47 years on this earth. It’s disheartening that someone would make up a lie to gain financial rewards."
McCarty spent a season and a half at Evansville, and compiled a 20-25 record before he was fired in Jan. 2020 during an investigation into sexual impropriety allegations. The 47-year-old took the job after spending time as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
The former Kentucky standout and Evansville native played in the NBA for a decade, almost all of which was spent with the Celtics.
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