Bellwood settles with student for $1M

District initially refused to disclose settlement agreement

The Bellwood-Antis School District has authorized a $1 million payment to resolve the civil court lawsuit filed by a student who was sexually abused by a former middle school wrestling coach.

The district, which initially refused to disclose the settlement requested by the Altoona Mirror in a Right-to-Know request, forwarded the document Tuesday with the student's name redacted.

In light of receiving the document, the Mirror is withdrawing an appeal filed in December with the state Office of Open Records to challenge the district's initial position against disclosing a document the school board unanimously approved Nov. 7.

"We're glad to see the school district comply with our request for a public document," Mirror Managing Editor Neil Rudel said Wednesday. "We can now offer more details about the settlement that our readers and the school district taxpayers are entitled to know."

The document indicates that the district's insurance provider, on behalf of the district, will cover the $1 million settlement in two ways. The insurer was authorized to make a $550,000 payment to the student and to Marcus & Mack, whose Indiana, Pa., attorneys represented the student in Blair County court.

The insurer was also authorized to issue a $450,000 payment to MetLife Assignment Co. for distribution in the form of monthly payments to the student through 2048.

The settlement agreement also states that "nothing in this agreement ... shall constitute or be construed as an admission of liability" by the district.

It also indicates that the agreement "represents the settlement of a disputed claim" covering now-known injuries, losses and damages, as well as any future injuries, losses and damages associated with the litigation.

The settlement developed in October in the days prior to the scheduled start of a civil court trial where a jury was already selected to evaluate the liability claims and requests for monetary compensation.

The civil lawsuit developed in the months after a state police at Hollidaysburg investigation led to criminal charges being filed in February 2020 against Ryan Blazier of Bellwood, who had been a middle school wrestling coach.

During an October 2021 criminal court jury trial, two students testified against Blazier and accused him of sexually assaulting them on school grounds in 2019 and 2020. The jury that heard the case handed down seven convictions, prompting Senior Judge Daniel J. Milliron to sentence then-41-year-old Blazier to 21 to 42 years incarceration.

By filing civil lawsuits on behalf of the student victims, attorneys Bryan Neiderhiser and Bradley Holuta sought to hold the school district and its personnel accountable for actions and lack of actions that failed to protect the youths from being sexually assaulted. Until the settlement, attorneys representing the school district argued against the claims and contended that only Blazier was to blame.

Blazier, meanwhile, continues to maintain his innocence and is appealing his criminal convictions. In response to the civil lawsuits, Blazier filed documents with the court, by mail from the state Correctional Institution at Waynesburg where he is housed, advising that he has no liability for things that didn't happen. In the approved settlement agreement obtained by the Mirror, no obligations are assigned to Blazier.

The settlement agreement also contains clauses and restrictions requiring those involved to keep the contents confidential and to avoid commenting, except where required by law, which would include the state's Sunshine Act addressing governmental meetings and the state's Right-to-Know Law addressing access to public records.

First Amendment and media law experts have taken the position that such confidentiality clauses are unenforceable when they involve government agencies which shouldn't be silenced or agree to be silenced.

In 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration drew criticism for a confidential agreement silencing those involved in addressing sexual harassment allegations levied against former legislative affairs secretary Mike Vereb. In that case, the state authorized a $295,000 payment as part of a settlement which prohibited the victim from speaking publicly about what happened.

Meanwhile, another civil lawsuit against the Bellwood-Antis School District and its personnel, filed on behalf of a second student who testified against Blazier, is still pending in county court. In that case, Senior Judge Timothy M. Sullivan advised attorneys to establish mediation dates by Feb. 23 and to complete those efforts by April 19, unless good cause can be shown as to why a later date would be required.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.