District, Ex-Ventura College Basketball Coach Reach Settlement

VENTURA —  The Ventura County Community College District announced Tuesday it will pay former men’s basketball coach Virgil Watson $70,000 rather than fight a costly legal battle over his firing.

“The parties each desire to avoid the expense, time and risks involved with litigation and to settle, once and forever,” stated the settlement agreement between Watson and the district.

District officials, who have refused in the past to comment on the case, declined to discuss the settlement. Watson’s attorney, Diana G. Hancock, also declined to comment, citing a confidentiality clause in the settlement.

The confidentiality clause, termed “a critical consideration” in the settlement, prohibits either side from discussing terms of the agreement or related documents. Any party that violates the clause must pay $10,000, according to the agreement.

But one legal expert said the public is entitled by law to see any documents related to the settlement.

“Those documents are certainly not exempt from the Public Records Act, and the fact that the district says they are confidential would not . . . be sufficient to make them so,” said Terry Francke, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, a Sacramento-based watchdog group.

Neither district officials nor their attorney were available to comment on the confidentiality clause.

The agreement was reached as a “result of a compromise . . . and is not an admission or confession of any liability by the district, or wrongdoing by Watson,” according to the settlement statement.

This agreement comes as a final resolution to a long battle between Watson and the college.

It began in March when district trustees voted 4 to 1 to not renew Watson’s contract, citing poor teaching ability, allegations of recruiting violations and lack of basic communication and math skills.

During the March 11 meeting, however, Chancellor Phil Westin also revealed that Watson had been accused of sexual harassment.

Watson acknowledged having a relationship with a 41-year-old student who was not in any of his classes. Although a retired judge hired by the district dismissed the complaint filed by the student, Westin said the relationship was nonetheless unethical and unprofessional.

On March 25, Watson filed a union grievance claiming the district had denied him due process.

At issue was why the district hired Watson when it knew he did not possess a master’s degree, why he was not provided a mentor or time to improve his teaching skills, and why the sexual allegation that had been previously dismissed was used against him.

Watson filed a legal claim against the district Aug. 5 for allegedly placing him in a false light and for emotional distress because of disclosing private facts relating to the sexual harassment allegation.

Under the settlement, both complaints are to be withdrawn.

Watson replaced Phil Mathews as interim basketball coach before the 1995-96 season and led the team to its second consecutive state championship. He was hired as a full-time instructor and coach at the college.

The district’s action, however, did not stop with firing Watson. It spiraled into an investigation of the Ventura College men’s basketball program that found violations of state athletic regulations by boosters, coaches and faculty members, including illegal recruiting and providing free amenities for players.

Western State Conference officials then imposed sanctions Oct. 8 that included a two-year probation that prohibits Ventura College from participating in post-season play and stripping the school of its 1995 and 1996 conference championships.

On Nov. 7, Ventura College President Larry Calderon suspended all games for one year.