Former players alleging sexual abuse by the multimillionaire founder of New York City’s Riverside Hawks basketball program—which pioneered the elite travel-team model of youth sports—have filed an answer in their lawsuit saying the defendant, Riverside Church, missed the mark in the church’s motion for summary judgment.

Three plaintiffs, including 56-year-old Robert L. Holmes, who first made public allegations against the program in 2002, have thus far filed memoranda opposing Riverside’s motion seeking dismissal of the case. The filings were authored by Michael Angelini, Lawrence W. Luttrell and other attorneys representing 15 plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse by Ernest Lorch, the basketball program’s founder and coach who died in 2012. A total of 27 plaintiffs have sued the church under New York’s Child Victims Act, claiming Lorch abused them. Though best-known in sports circles for Riverside, Lorch was also a successful corporate lawyer and CEO of a hedge fund.

The players suing the church joined the Riverside basketball program between 1970 and 2000, as the team was gaining fame for turning out hundreds of college players and dozens of NBA stars, among them Nate Archibald, Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith and Chris Mullin. Holmes and the other plaintiffs all say they were minors when the abuse took place, and can sue all these years later because the New York Child Victims Act extended the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual assault. 

As Sportico detailed, Riverside Church motioned New York Judge Sabrina Kraus for summary judgment last month. The church claimed its officials neither knew nor had reason to know of Lorch’s abusive acts. Riverside also insisted that, as a church, it didn’t owe a duty in loco parentis. If Riverside is correct about loco parentis, it would mean the church can’t be legally faulted since it lacked the responsibilities of a parent when supervising kids. Riverside cited case law asserting that because the abuse occurred outside of a school setting, the church can’t be held liable for the actions of Lorch.

Holmes and his fellow plaintiffs see the relevant issues quite differently. Their filings urge Kraus to deny summary judgment, which a judge only grants when there is no genuine dispute as to material facts. The granting of summary judgment ends a case before it goes to trial, meaning it takes the case away from future jurors. 

As a starting point, Holmes’ memorandum criticizes Riverside for its “supposed ignorance” about Lorch—who, as a volunteer, ran the Riverside hoops program for nearly four decades until he was suspended from coaching in 2002 after Holmes told his story of abuse in the New York Daily News.

In 2010, the testimony of another plaintiff, Byron Walker, resulted in Lorch being indicted on sexual assault charges in Massachusetts, based on the ex-player’s account of an incident during a road trip in Amherst, Mass., in the 1970s. The charges never went to trial because of Lorch’s ill health before his death. 

“Considering the overwhelming testimony of the players and coaches,” the memorandum charges, “one would think [Riverside] was referring to a different Lorch, church, and set of facts.” 

The memorandum goes so far as to assert it “defies credulity” for Riverside to claim it didn’t know what was going on. The memorandum highlights that 26 other men have raised essentially the same facts and circumstances in their cases as survivors of childhood sexual assault. It also asserts that Lorch’s “misconduct” was openly discussed among players and coaches associated with Riverside and with rival teams.

Along those lines, the memorandum contends that Riverside possessed both “actual and constructive notice of the abuse” and thus can’t meet its burden for a summary judgment. The memorandum references “thousands of pages” from 25 transcripts that allegedly implicate Riverside. 

Holmes’ attorneys acknowledge that as a defendant, Riverside can challenge the veracity and accuracy of implicating transcripts and maintain they are inadmissible for a variety of reasons. But the memorandum argues that Riverside must raise such challenges with specificity. The memorandum also points out that hearsay—meaning a statement made out-of-court used to prove the truth of an assertion—may be considered in opposing a motion for summary judgment. 

Further, the memorandum disputes Riverside’s characterization of precedent regarding in loco parentis. While Riverside is not a school, Holmes’ attorneys argue that is a distinction that doesn’t end the legal analysis. The memorandum contends that Riverside should be viewed as having “the same requirements for supervising children,” since it operated a basketball program overseeing children “several nights a week.”

Holmes’ attorneys cite favorable precedent involving a stationery store, neighbors, babysitters and churches where the defendants offered services consistent with having custody and control over children.

“It goes without saying that, if a small business can assume an in loco parentis duty, so can Riverside,” the memorandum states.

To that end, the memorandum suggests it would be nonsensical for Riverside to not be treated as akin to a parent, when actual parents entrusted their children to Riverside’s basketball program and when players’ accomplishments “were celebrated at Sunday services” and detailed in a church newsletter. 

As to Lorch being a volunteer, Holmes’ attorneys contend that Lorch’s relationship with Riverside was extensive, longstanding and influential. The memorandum says he started the program in the early 1960s and ran it until around 2002 when media reports of his misconduct surfaced. During that multi-decade stretch, Lorch held a bevy of leadership positions with the church, including as deacon, president of the board of trustees and head coach who picked his staff and directed his players.

Holmes’ attorneys write that Lorch also organized “multimillion-dollar fundraisers” for the church, distributed to his players bags and uniforms that featured the Riverside Hawks logo and traveled across the U.S. and abroad as an official representative of the program.

As to Holmes and the others claiming Riverside had constructive notice—meaning it should have known of the abuse based on the circumstances and should be treated by law as knowing—the memorandum claims that between 1970 and 1999, many players were required to “line up at Lorch’s office after practice, drop their pants and underwear, and get paddled at some point.”

Lorch also allegedly openly “grabbed, rubbed and held” players buttocks during practices and made them line up for “jockstrap inspections.” 

The memorandum also addresses several witnesses, including reverends, who testified they never witnessed abuse. That is “not surprising,” the memorandum contends, since those witnesses didn’t go to practices or attend other basketball-related events where abuse occurred. As the plaintiffs’ attorneys see it, “Riverside didn’t seem to care what was happening,” and the “absence of records involved reflects that institutional indifference.”

Kraus will weigh the dueling arguments. If she denies Riverside’s motion for summary judgment, the case will proceed to trial. There is also a distinct possibility the case settles before a trial, assuming the church, its insurance companies and Holmes can identify an acceptable arrangement. Judge Alexander Tisch will also be ruling on motions in the multiple Riverside lawsuits.

(This story has been updated in the last paragraph to add additional context that Judge Alexander Tisch will also be ruling on the Riverside lawsuits.)

Detroit — From representing an era defined by teal jerseys, Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill has fond memories of his five-year tenure with the Detroit Pistons. Outside of the dunks and game-winning plays that made him one of the best players in franchise history, scrimmaging against the Detroit Shock during his offseason training in the late 1990s is one of Hill’s best memories.

YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — New details have emerged in the case of a Yuma Border Patrol agent, Ramon Marquez, accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a teen girl who was in the youth Border Patrol Explorer Program he helped oversee.

New court documents show the sexual relationship between Marquez, a married father of two, and a 16-year-old girl began in December 2024 and continued through late April, when the investigation was launched.

In a report, investigators said Marquez engaged in multiple encounters with the girl. These incidents reportedly occurred during Explorer program activities, out-of-town trips and even at USBP facilities.

In one instance, detectives said a video shows the girl at Marquez’s home, where a young child can be heard crying in the background. Investigators believe the child is Marquez’s son.

While only one victim has been identified so far, court records reveal this was not the first time Marquez had engaged in inappropriate texting with a child.

The inappropriate behavior was first reported by another Border Patrol agent who observed concerning interactions involving Marquez.

A second report came from another teenage girl in the Explorer Program. She told investigators that Marquez had sent her inappropriate text messages about a year earlier and was facilitating meetups outside of official program activities.

Marquez is facing 14 counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of sexual exploitation for allegedly recording sexual acts involving the teen.

“This person knew that there were boundaries and expectations,” said Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, an ASU professor and expert in sex trafficking.

Roe-Sepowitz said cases involving law enforcement officers carry added concern because of the authority those individuals hold. “People in power can take advantage of those who have less power,” she said.

Roe-Sepowitz stressed the importance of proper oversight in youth mentorship programs to protect participants from abuse. “There needs to be checks and balances in all programs,” she said. “I don’t think we need to enter relationships with kids or kids leadership or sports with the idea that adults are predators, but we do need to make sure kids are not alone with coaches.”

Marquez is not in custody. He posted bond following his arrest and according to statements made to detectives, he has been placed on administrative leave.

Arizona’s Family reached out to Yuma Border Patrol for an update on the status of the Explorer Program and whether additional safeguards will be implemented, but has not yet received a response.

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T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY
Members of the Marshalltown city council along with City Clerk Alicia Hunter, Mayor Joel Greer and City Administrator Carol Webb converse during Tuesday night’s meeting.

Amidst ongoing discussion about lease agreements for various local sports leagues amidst recent changes in water billing, the Marshalltown City Council voted unanimously to proceed with allocating up to $75,000 in council-designated Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money toward the development of a master plan for the city’s youth and adult recreational sports facilities during Tuesday night’s regular meeting.

City Administrator Carol Webb said staff was requesting that a consultant be hired to prepare the plan as she did not feel they had the expertise in house to do so, and she estimated the cost at between $50,000 and $75,000 while providing a draft of the Request for Proposal (RFP) document and noting that the LOST fund currently has a balance of nearly $1.8 million.

“I’d like to support this project. It seems like we have lost some recreational facilities for adults and youths over my time in Marshalltown, over 45 years, but, you know, it’s time to modernize this, get our facilities together (and) easier to maintain, lower long-term expenses, higher utilization. I think this is a great idea,” Councilor Jeff Schneider said.

He subsequently motioned to proceed with allocating up to $75,000 toward an RFP for the plans, and before the vote, Mayor Joel Greer noted some of Marshalltown’s recent successes in track, tennis and eSports while making the case for increased participation among young Bobcats. A motion to proceed with the plan passed by a 6-0 vote as Councilor Greg Nichols was absent.

Piggybacking off of recent discussions, Webb said the council had been advised to reevaluate its lease agreements with various organizations, and two councilors joined the city administrator and City Attorney Steve Leidinger on that ad hoc committee. According to Webb, they have recommended a policy that would charge fair market rent for city facilities unless a public benefit can be demonstrated.

With no further discussion from the council or the public, Councilor Gary Thompson motioned to have staff put the formal policy together and bring it back as a resolution. It passed 6-0. Currently, the city has a total of 18 lease agreements in place with other public and private entities ranging from the American Legion Golf Course to the Iowa River OHV Club to the Union Pacific Railroad and various youth sports leagues, to name a few.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.

JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown Area Youth Baseball organization will be hosting American Legion opening day at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, at Jack Brown Stadium.

The Jamestown Post 14 Eagles will face LaMoure Post 19 in a doubleheader to open their season.

According to a press release, the day will involve games and prizes for fans, a group photo involving all of the JAYBAL athletes and free admission for all fans. There will also be a new slushy machine at the Jack Brown Stadium concession stand.

“We want opening day to feel like the start of summer in Jamestown,” JAYBAL President Matt Perkins said. “This is more than baseball, it’s about bringing our community together and creating family memories that will last a lifetime. Watching kids grow through sports, neighbors catching up in the bleachers and families spending time together at the ballfield. It’s the heartbeat of our summer.”

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

Three dozen youth in the secure custody of the State of Illinois showed off their hoops skills this spring during the inaugural “FLEX Lloyd Tournament of Champions” basketball tournament at Northern Illinois University’s Anderson Hall.

And, between the whistles, they enjoyed another chance to glimpse what life could look like through making different and better choices.

Realizations of possibilities came in the moment: “A lot of people didn’t believe in us,” one player said, “and we ended up proving the haters wrong.”

Organized by NIU Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education faculty members and associate professors Jenn Jacobs and Zach Wahl-Alexander, the Project FLEX (Fitness, Leadership, EXperience) competition in DeKalb expanded years of programming designed to help the young people develop positive habits for post-release success.

Five Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) facilities – Chicago, Pere Marquette, Harrisburg, PEACE Center at St. Charles and Warrenville – sent teams to field an eight-squad bracket that also included three lineups of NIU students.

Youth were chosen for the IDJJ teams based on a record of good behavior, staff recommendations and an interest in participating. IDJJ staff served as coaches for the teams, holding practices for the weeks leading up to the tournament and working to obtain uniforms and shoes for the teams.

Approximately 45 IDJJ staff members traveled to DeKalb to coach, cheer, assist and ensure safety protocols remained in place. Tommie Meyers, who manages several travel basketball teams in the Chicago area, donated 20 pairs of basketball shoes for youth who needed them.

NIU’s Mission II, a purebred Siberian Husky, attended the tournament so youth and staff could pet him before the kickoff of the tournament. Victor E. Huskie, the NIU mascot, also provided photo opportunities for youth and staff.

Following three rounds of spirited and full-court play accompanied by a steady soundtrack of hip-hop music, the St. Charles Phoenix Emerging Adult Career and Education (PEACE) Center climbed to the top.

It was just as confidently predicted by one athlete from that facility who reported that he and his teammates worked hard to prepare for the tournament, showed dedication to make their mothers proud and, as a result, would leave NIU with the trophy.

He and his counterparts definitely made Jacobs and Wahl-Alexander proud.

“It was cool to see some of them just zoom out of being an incarcerated person and just feel like a normal kid, and I think it was the exact opportunity where they got to feel like a high school kid for the first time,” Jacobs said. “The thing I’m most excited about is that the kids rose to the occasion, because they were the ones who could have made or broken the experience – and they just crushed it.”

“We’re trying to provide these real-world experiences for the kids – these realistic opportunities that they would have if they weren’t incarcerated,” Wahl-Alexander added, “and I think that as we’ve gotten more comfortable, and as the facility has given us more flexibility and freedom, we’ve started to push the boundaries a bit.”

Rob Vickery, acting director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, came to watch with hopes of seeing “a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles” and “competitiveness that is appropriate, positive and all in good fun.”

Vickery has appreciated Project FLEX’s philosophy in action with the Chicago, St. Charles and Warrenville facilities.

Project FLEX and IDJJ began their partnership in 2018 at the St. Charles youth center, using sports to make a positive impact on the lives of incarcerated youth. FLEX now operates multiple programs in three IDJJ facilities, including an initiative that helps high school graduates at the PEACE Center to become certified personal trainers.

“We try to offer as many normal opportunities that the youth would have in regular schools and, even though they’re in our custody, we’re going to have as many opportunities as possible for them to engage in athletics and other competition,” Vickery said.

“What’s so cool about Project FLEX in particular is, yes, they’re doing sports activities, but underlying all of that is really a focus on building life skills; building a capacity to set goals and work toward them; building a capacity to work through frustrations,” he added. “This is a culminating event where they’re able to apply all the skills.”

Sean T. Frazier, NIU vice president/director of Athletics and Recreation, set an affirmational tone with a motivational speech immediately before the games began.

“This is really special for me for a lot of different reasons,” Frazier told the IDJJ youth. “I wouldn’t be standing here today if I didn’t have a chance, through athletics, to get a scholarship to go on to college. Thank the Lord I was able to do that, or I would basically be that statistic.”

Sean T. Frazier (center), with Jenn Jacobs and Zach Wahl-Alexander, delivered the keynote address.

Frazier said his mother, a single parent, “had to work three or four jobs just to put some food on our table” in Queens, New York.

Her effort provided a powerful example, he said, adding that he accepted FLEX’s invitation to speak to pay forward that gift by encouraging the youth to make the most of the opportunity they were given.

“One of the things that always struck me going through the process is that she always believed that I was going to be able to get something done. I really appreciate her to this day. I get choked up thinking about the things that she had to do for me to be in the position that I am,” he said.

“You can do whatever you want to do. It’s up to you to make the commitment and to have the discipline to make it happen,” he added. “You’ve got people here that are going to help you … and if I can be that person, please come on over to the Athletics department. I’d love to have that conversation.”

For Jacobs and Wahl-Alexander, the first-time event’s success was confirmed by the campus visitors; several IDJJ staff members told the professors that “this is my favorite day on the job ever.”

“I do want to credit our supporters. Rob Vickery and the IDJJ are just visionaries, and it takes courage to say yes to things that have not done before,” Jacobs said. “I think it’s reflective of a positive partnership. We’re delivering on our outcomes, keeping the kids safe and helping them grow.”

“To our knowledge, these types of things don’t occur in the United States,” Wahl-Alexander said, “but, hopefully, this is maybe a sign of things to come.”

St. Anthony Lloyd, IDJJ Leisure Time Activities supervisor, agrees.

Lloyd was instrumental in all aspects of planning and coordinating the tournament and served as the primary liaison between the department and Project FLEX, which he calls “a phenomenal partner.”

“For me, this tournament was about more than basketball. I truly believe that when we unite for the benefit of our youth, success naturally follow,” he said. “While the games themselves were exciting, the true significance of the event lays in its power to bring people together in pursuit of a shared goal. Basketball just happened to be the catalyst.”

NIU students also played in the tournament, fielding three squads.

Such “meaningful experiences have the power to shift perspectives.”

“Outsiders will now see our youth as more than their past. IDJJ staff can now witness firsthand that positive outcomes are achievable when we work in unison. Most importantly, our youth will begin to believe that their current circumstances do not define their future – they are capable of achieving and experiencing greatness,” Lloyd said.

There is so much more potential ahead,” he added, “and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future.”

He’s not alone.

“I like the feeling of how everyone played together and played well, with no problems,” one player said. “We should keep it going.”