Loyola Staff Members Awarded Damages

An arbitrator has awarded five Loyola High assistant coaches and the school’s athletic trainer a combined $20,000 in damages stemming from a fight between the Loyola and Fontana football teams after a 1999 Southern Section playoff game.

Patrick Naughton, attorney for the Fontana Unified School District, has until Aug. 23 to accept or reject the offer. If the offer is rejected, the case could move to trial as early as Sept. 14.

The lawsuit alleges that Fontana coaches were negligent in supervising their players after a 28-7 loss to Loyola in an opening-round Division I playoff game at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.