The families of three of the alleged victims in the Hamilton High School hazing case have filed notices of claims against the Chandler Unified School District totaling $20 million.
The claims are the first step toward filing lawsuits.
According to court documents, the families say Chandler Unified School District employees failed to report the alleged assaults when they were given tips or complaints on several different occasions.
Separate court reports released Tuesday showed the Chandler Police Department is recommending charges be filed against former coach Steve Belles and current principal Ken James for failing to report the claims to authorities.
In the three notice of claims, two families are seeking $7 million, and one family is requesting $6 million for compensatory damages. Dan Raynak is the attorney representing the families. He says the coaching staff and school new about the alleged sexual assaults.
"This was something that was known by the coaching staff and by individuals in administration at the school and as far as perpetrators they wanted to commit actual acts of sexual assault," Raynak said.
ABC15 reached out to the school district for comment Wednesday but they declined comment, citing that it is an active investigation.
Stay with ABC15 and abc15.com for the latest on this developing story.
