Ex-Penn State majorette sues university, alleges bullying and harassment from former coach
A former Penn State majorette captain claimed in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Wednesday that her coach subjected her to everything from bullying and discrimination to sexual and gender-based harassment.
Kaitlyn Wassel’s lawsuit alleged ex-coach Heather Bean fat-shamed her and other majorettes, fell short of maintaining appropriate boundaries with students and failed to report allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 31-page lawsuit included allegations from at least four other women who were members of the Blue Band’s majorette team, some of which said they developed an eating disorder or thought of attempting suicide.
The university wrote in a letter that many of the allegations were corroborated during its investigation, Wassel’s attorney Andrew Shubin wrote in suit. Investigators found some of the behavior violated university policy, Shubin wrote.
Penn State’s letter said the university could not substantiate sexual assault and discrimination complaints it received, in part because there were no witnesses during the interactions.
Bean, who is not named as a defendant in the suit, resigned during fall 2022. Penn State wrote in its letter it could not discipline Bean because of her resignation, Shubin wrote. She had been Penn State’s majorette coach since 1994.
A Penn State spokeswoman declined comment Thursday, citing the university’s policy against typically speaking publicly against pending litigation. The university is the only named defendant.
“Bean ... amassed a record of competitive successes, including winning national championships for Penn State,” Shubin wrote. “Sadly, the University prioritized the prestige Bean brought to the University over the safety and well-being of its students; it valued its reputation over its integrity and Kaitlyn and other majorettes were predictable causalities.”
Wassel, of Maryland, attended Penn State from 2018 through 2022. She studied engineering at what the lawsuit described as her “dream school.”
The honeymoon phase was short-lived.
Wassel alleged Bean began harassing her during the fall semester of her freshman year. Bean was accused of fat-shaming Wassel and intentionally humiliating her by forcing her to wear a uniform that was too small.
When presented with an allegation of sexual assault, the suit alleged the former coach refused to report it and instead responded with derogatory insults. Wassel’s lawsuit also claimed Bean pried into her personal, social and sexual life.
Shubin — who wrote that Wassel was “happy, healthy, well-adjusted and driven” before she attended Penn State — described Bean’s alleged harassment as “devastating and all encompassing.”
Wassel began to have frequent panic attacks and sought mental health treatment, Shubin wrote.
“She viewed her life as a Penn State student as an abstraction, something to be survived,” he wrote.
The lawsuit alleged the university violated Title IX — the landmark U.S. law meant to bring equity between men and women in most facets of education — and the equal protection clause of the Constitution. She’s seeking unspecified damages.
This story was originally published December 14, 2023 at 12:28 PM.