A former Peoria High School student and varsity basketball player filed a notice of claim against the Peoria Unified School District alleging that both entities failed to report or prevent a pattern of misconduct from multiple faculty members, including former basketball coach 39-year-old Patrick Battillo.
Battillo, a Phoenix Suns superfan who was primarily known for wearing orange face paint and attire and went by the moniker “Mr. ORNG,” was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on April 17 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor as part of a plea agreement.
The notice of claim, a mandatory precursor to a lawsuit against a public entity, claimed Battillo wasn’t the only danger to students and alleged
other faculty had groomed and raped students while school administrators ignored numerous reports of misconduct.
The former student was willing to settle the matter for $650,000, according to the claim.
PUSD spokesperson Danielle Airey confirmed the district had received the notice of claim and would confer with legal counsel.
“The Peoria Unified School District prioritizes the safety of students and any time there is an allegation of harm, we want to address it,” Airey said in a statement. “Our employees receive a minimum of two mandated reporting trainings each year. Staff also receive training on recognizing and reporting abuse, including grooming behaviors, consistent with state requirements.
“Board policy sets clear expectations for appropriate staff-student boundaries and communication, and background checks and fingerprint clearance cards are required for all employees and volunteers who supervise children.”
The school district also maintained a confidential and anonymous reporting system, and district staff follow up on every concern, Airey added.
Basketball coach solicited explicit photos and videos from players
Battillo messaged the student over Snapchat in April 2024 asking if he could trust the student before explaining an older woman he knew named “Jess” had been paying him for sexual pictures and videos and asked the student if they’d send some for a little extra money, according to the notice of claim.
When the student expressed hesitation, Battillo tried to assure them that only Jess would see the pictures and videos and they would eventually be deleted, the claim said.
The student told Battillo that they’d have to think about it and was scared to outright refuse as he didn’t want to disappoint Battillo or make his coach worry about being reported to authorities, according to the claim.
The student hoped Battillo would drop the issue, but the basketball coach remained determined, the claim said. He eventually sent an inappropriate video to Battillo, after which he immediately felt disgusted, according to the claim.
The money he received afterward for the video didn’t lessen that feeling.
The student became suspicious as Battillo shared requests from Jess that were increasingly sexual and graphic, and he asked Battillo for the woman’s Snapchat account.
The student asked Jess to provide a picture of herself so he could see the face of the woman who sought explicit photos of high school boys, according to the claim. The person behind the account refused.
When the student shared his concern that Jess was not who she claimed to be, Battillo assured them that Jess was real, the claim stated. Unconvinced, the student sent another message to the woman over Snapchat during basketball practice, where he saw Battillo’s smartwatch light up, the claim said.
The student watched as Battillo took out and unlocked his phone when Snapchat indicated “Jess” had seen his message.
Claim implicates other former faculty members
The notice of claim cited other faculty members who allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with students and alleged the multiple instances of impropriety represented a pattern in which the district failed to protect its students, including the former student who filed the notice of claim, from foreseeable harm.
“He will forever struggle to trust the systems and people that are in place to prevent incidents like this from happening,” the claim said.
PUSD remained embroiled in other legal battles as a former Centennial High School student filed a Sept. 22 notice of claim seeking $7 million in damages for sexual grooming and exploitation.
That notice of claim remained pending as the Maricopa County Attorney's Office sought more information from Peoria police in its investigation of two former Centennial High School teachers accused of having a sexual relationship with the same student.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Peoria High basketball player files claim against coach
