SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — A mother and her 8-year-old son are suing Callan Swim School in San Marcos.
Their lawsuit alleges a former swim instructor at the school, Nicholas Piazza, sexually abused the boy during a private swim lesson at Callan Swim School in July of 2021.
It also alleges that Callan Swim School knew that Piazza had a history of inappropriate behavior and continued to employ him anyway.
According to the complaint, in the Spring of 2020, a different parent had reported to the school that Piazza had asked her daughter “to touch his genital area during a lesson,” but Piazza continued to work at the school.
And as previously reported,in September of this year, a third alleged victim came forward. Piazza was arrested after a 7-year-old told his mother that Piazza had sexually assaulted him on two separate occasions. According to law enforcement, these incidents didn’t happen at Callan Swim School, but during private lessons in Rancho Santa Fe while Piazza was out on bail from a former arrest.
“I was shocked that he had done it again. And even more shocked that he was still teaching lessons and able to do it again,” Amy Moreno, the former General Manager of Callan Swim School, told ABC 10News earlier this month.
Moreno says Piazza continued to teach after a brief pause in the Summer of 2021. She says she was out on personal leave at the time.
“At that time the owners of Callan Swim School said they were going to take Nicholas Piazza out of the water. They did that for about a week. After about a week he was back in the water teaching,” she said.
ABC 10News reached out to Callan Swim School for comment and received the following statement on 10/24/22:
We did receive inquiries from local news organization about a civil lawsuit. We have not yet been served with summons and complaint, and therefore are unable to discuss any specific allegations.
In the meantime, we will remain focused on making the safety, security, and well-being of everyone in our programs our top priority. Doing so ensures that we foster a safe, fun, and supportive space for learning and building confidence, just as we have for 60 years.
