Lehigh Co. School Cleared in Wrestling Lawsuit

ALLENTOWN, PA-January 12, 2006 -- A federal jury cleared Parkland School District officials of claims that a former wrestling coach urged older teammates to punish younger teammates for misconduct.

The jury deliberated for an hour and concluded that neither the school district nor former wrestling coach John Toggas violated the rights of former wrestler James Allen. Allen said he would appeal.

Allen, now 23, claimed in his lawsuit that he suffered brain damage when former Parkland wrestling star Kurt Pryor put him in a headlock in a school hallway in 1998, demanding that he quit smoking.

Pryor, who went on to West Point Military Academy and is now an Army second lieutenant, admitted doing that in videotaped testimony but said his action was a "dumb idea" and denied the coach had anything to do with it.

Toggas testified that he had seen Allen smoking, but defense lawyer Andria Saia said no evidence was presented to show that Toggas met with wrestlers to encourage them to confront Allen.

(Copyright 2006 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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