Deal Close In Teen Sex Suit Against Ex-Tigers Player Chad Curtis
GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - A settlement is in the works in a lawsuit against former Detroit Tigers outfielder Chad Curtis, who's in a Michigan prison for criminal sexual conduct.
A federal judge in Grand Rapids has scheduled a meeting for next Monday. Curtis will participate by video from prison.
He's being sued by four young women who attended Lakewood High School in western Michigan, where he he was a volunteer in the weight room after retiring from baseball.
The victims are also suing Lakewood, a school district in Barry County.
The women, who were between the ages of 13 and 16 at the time. say they were inappropriately touched by Curtis in the weight room. During a probable cause hearing in the separate criminal case, two teen girls gave their accounts of how the alleged molestation happened.
A 16-year-old said Curtis straddled her on a training bench to massage her abs, then pulled off her sports bra and massaged her breasts. He also allegedly kissed her exposed breast in a separate, similar incident, and touched her crotch area under her spandex.
Another girl said she was 15-years-old when Curtis allegedly touched her in the groin area under the guise of trying to rehabilitate a knee injury in the locked training room. He is accused of massaging the girl's buttocks, as well.
Prosecutors said the third accuser is 13- to 15-years-old who was molested in a similar way, also on school grounds.
Curtis has denied the allegations but declined to testify at trial.
In the civil case, Attorney Monica Beck says her clients are "close to reaching" a deal between Curtis and the district.
The 48-year-old Curtis played for six Major League Baseball teams, including for the Tigers in 1995-1996, and won two World Series rings with the Yankees.
He's eligible for parole in 2020.
© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
