A fourth District Court of Appeals just recently ruled in favor of Little League Baseball, stating that they are not responsible for the repeated molestations of two young athletes by a volunteer coach and umpire. Since the molestations did not take place at any of the national organization’s activities or events, the state Supreme Court does not hold it liable.

This case was initially brought to court when two brothers, Jimmy and Garrett Hickman claimed that the lack of a national screening program for Little League volunteers made it possible for Norman Watson to molest them on multiple occasions. Watson, who worked for the East Baseline Little League in San Bernardino County, CA, pleaded guilty in 1998 to 39 counts involving sexual misconduct with five children between 1990 and 1996.

The Hickman brothers testified that the molestations took place at a local high school field; at a local store where Watson worked; at the Hickman’s home; and in Watson’s car, but never at any Little League activity. As a result, Justice Thomas Hollenhorst, in an unpublished opinion for the Court of Appeal, stated that the connection between the national organization and the molestations “was as a matter of public policy, too attenuated to support imposing liability on Little League Baseball.”

Although Little League Baseball has had a policy requiring local leagues to conduct background checks since 2003, parents need to verify these checks are in fact being completed in order to ensure the safety of their children.

After the audit of Kailua High School in Hawaii last fall, Superintendent, Pat Hamamoto, is instructing schools to clean up. In all, the Department of Education has identified fifteen people who were coaching students last year in Hawaii public schools that never underwent criminal background checks.

As a result, public schools throughout the state have had to verify whether or not the coaches have completed background checks. Hamamoto stated that the coaching candidates, for the spring sports season, “can’t work until they’re cleared”. Furthermore, Hamamoto has required that the screening process include fingerprinting, and concludes that “failure to comply with the fingerprinting requirement will result in discontinuing the employment process or termination”.

There are 2,095 prospective coaches in the coming season. Hamamoto’s office is keeping a close watch on all areas to make sure the criminal background checks are completed for all the coaches.