Legal Proceedings Begin Following School Settlement
Former NBA star and coach Byron Scott is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles Superior Court on September 8 for a civil trial concerning a 1987 sexual assault allegation. The trial follows a confidential settlement reached between Campbell Hall, the Studio City private school where the incident allegedly occurred, and the accuser, Hayley Dylan.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2022, invokes California’s Child Victims Act, which provided a limited three-year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse to pursue claims that had previously expired under the statute of limitations. Dylan, who was 15 at the time of the alleged encounter, claims Scott—then 26 and a member of the Los Angeles Lakers—assaulted her in a janitor’s closet during the filming of an instructional basketball video.
Disputed Facts and Legal Arguments
Scott has acknowledged that sexual contact occurred but maintains that he was unaware of Dylan’s age, claiming he believed she was an 18-year-old member of the video production crew. His defense team, led by attorney Linda Bauermeister, has stated that Scott is “devastated” by the allegations, which were brought more than three decades after the event.
A critical point of contention heading into the trial is the financial impact of the school’s settlement. Scott’s legal team has filed a brief requesting that the total value of Campbell Hall’s confidential settlement be subtracted—or “offset”—from any damages a jury might award Dylan. Conversely, Dylan’s attorney, Kerry Garvis Wright, argues that such an offset is legally restricted to economic damages, asserting that the settlement with the school pertains exclusively to non-economic claims such as emotional distress.
Institutional Liability
Campbell Hall had previously sought to dismiss the case against it, but in January, Judge Lee S. Arian denied the school’s motion for summary judgment. The court found evidence suggesting the school failed to adequately supervise students during the production. Judge Arian noted in his ruling that the student’s whereabouts were effectively ignored, and the school held a responsibility to protect its students from third-party harm on campus.
As the trial date approaches, the case remains a significant legal test of the Child Victims Act’s application to decades-old allegations involving public figures. The outcome will hinge on the jury’s assessment of liability and the court’s final determination regarding the allocation of the settlement offset.