Parents retract harassment accusations against Warroad Hockey Coach in settled lawsuit

Following accusations against a high school girl’s hockey coach, a lawsuit settlement now has parents admitting their statements were false.

The retraction of the accusations comes almost a year after they were first made public in an open letter against Warroad High School girls’ hockey coach, David Marvin.

As part of the settlement, records show Marvin will receive $17,000 in damages and a $5,000 donation will be made in Marvin’s name to Sophie’s Squad, a non-profit that focuses on the mental health of athletes. Additionally, the defendants – Shana Lanctot, Matt Lanctot, Jeff Johnson, Patti Johnson, Coreen Lindquist and Kristin Coauette Johnson – must admit that their accusations were false.

According to court documents, the six parents of Warroad hockey players began to make allegations against Marvin, accusing him of conducting criminal and inappropriate activity toward players.

Court documents state the parents first brought their claims against Marvin to school officials at Warroad, who investigated the allegations but never took any disciplinary action against the coach.

The parents then, on October 30, 2023, wrote an open letter on social media accusing him of making “sexually harassing comments” as well as allegations of hazing, sexual harassment and emotional distress “among other things.”

These claims were then published and spread across various social media accounts, including a podcast, Facebook groups and more. When these statements were made public, the Warroad School defended coach Marvin, calling the allegations false.

Marvin then filed a lawsuit against the six parents on November 13, 2023, accusing them of making false and defamatory statements about him to ruin his reputation and get him fired.

Five of the six parents admitted that they had published the letter without verifying it and admitted their claims were untrue.

According to court documents, the sixth parent, Kristin Coauette Johnson, did not admit to making false statements, only stating that she had not written the letter containing the allegations. She is the only defendant who needs to pay Marvin the $17,000 in damages.

During the allegations and lawsuit, Marvin has remained employed by Warroad High School, where he has continued to see success with his team.

Earlier this year, the Warroad girl’s hockey team won their third straight championship in February, the fifth of his nearly 18-year-long career as a coach at Warroad.