A man who as a boy was molested by his lacrosse coach's wife has reached an undisclosed settlement with three lacrosse groups and his former coach in a personal-injury lawsuit, court records show.
The victim, now 20, and his parents sued South Sound Lacrosse, Emerald Ridge Lacrosse Club, Puyallup Lacrosse Club and coach Norm Dillon in Pierce County Superior Court for abuse he suffered at the hands of Su Dillon between the ages of 10 and 15.
Five other defendants were dismissed from the case, which was filed in May 2022 — 18 months after the victim's abuser pleaded guilty to child sex crimes, court records show.
Su Dillon, now 49, was not a named defendant. She pleaded guilty to two counts of child rape and was sentenced in 2020 to 10 years to life in prison. However, she was only ordered to serve a year of that sentence in confinement as part of the Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative program, which enables sex offenders who meet certain requirements to serve time out of custody while getting treatment, The News Tribune previously reported.
The lawsuit alleged that the defendants failed in their duties to protect the victim from foreseeable dangers presented by an adult in a position of trust and failed to monitor adults and minors, including on overnight trips, events at the Dillons' residence or during rides to and from games and practices.
"The negligence of each Defendant named herein enabled predator Su Dillon to groom, molest and rape (the victim) for a period of years," the complaint stated.
In court filings, each defendant denied the allegations against them.
"No one knew of (the victim's) abuse until Ms. Dillon was arrested in April 2019," attorney Mirèn First, who represented Emerald Ridge Lacrosse Club, wrote in a December filing.
The lawsuit was dismissed on Jan. 24 after the involved parties notified the court in December that they had reached a settlement, court records show. The settlement terms were not disclosed.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs and defendants in the case didn't return messages seeking comment.
The victim, who The News Tribune isn't naming because he was a victim of sexual abuse, had been enrolled in each of the lacrosse clubs named as defendants while Norm Dillon was the coach. Su Dillon helped out with the teams.
The victim told police that he and Su Dillon had sex on three or four occasions and engaged in other sexual acts, according to charging papers from May 2019.
Su Dillon routinely gave him and his teammates back massages, walked around her home in underpants during team practices and sleepovers and sought to isolate the victim from the other boys, the lawsuit said.
As a team chaperone during an overnight trip in San Diego, she raped the victim in his hotel room when he was 13, according to the suit.
In March 2019, the victim disclosed the abuse to a counselor.
Su Dillon told police that she liked the attention and acknowledged having sex with the victim, but denied that she had done so with other boys, according to charging papers, which noted: "She said she knew it was wrong and wanted to end the relationship."
