Arizona QB Jayden de Laura settles sexual assault case in civil court
May 4, 2023, 1:03 PM | Updated: May 5, 2023, 3:16 pm
Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) makes an off-balance throw against Colorado in the first half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura and his high school teammate, current Wisconsin safety Kamoi Latu, agreed to settle a civil lawsuit over a sexual assault case that was initially handled in juvenile court, according to HawaiiNewsNow.com.
The two St. Louis School (Honolulu) teammates were accused of raping a woman in October 2018, when the victim was 16.
She is now 20.
De Laura is currently 21.
The first complaint in the civil court case was filed in December 2021.
The Arizona Athletics Department said it first became aware of the incident in the fall of 2022.
“After receiving the matter, the determination was made to allow de Laura to continue as a student-athlete and his status remains unchanged,” the university said in a statement.
The victim was described in court documents as an acquaintance of de Laura and Latu. With a mother and friend while in high school, she drove to St. Louis School after a football game to give the players lei while supporting the football team.
De Laura asked her via text message where she was and then asked her to meet him in a stairwell of a parking garage to talk to her. The victim did so with her mom and friend waiting in the car.
Per HawaiiNewsNow.com:
The court records say Latu was in the stairwell waiting with de Laura, who “demanded” the she “engage in sex with the two of them simultaneously, immediately.”
She refused, according to the complaint.
The document then goes into graphic detail, saying the players “physically overpowered her” and that de Laura was “holding her head from behind and pushing it down” on Latu.
De Laura “began choking her to gain her cooperation” as he assaulted her, according to the court record which says the victim was “sobbing uncontrollably in fear and anger”.
The case was initially handled in juvenile court, which rarely makes documents public.
The civil court complaint said the players were charged and pleaded guilty in the juvenile court to sexual assault 2 and added that neither de Laura nor Latu served jail time. They were required to write an apology letter to the girl.
The defendants’ families settled with the girl late last year after a private mediation, according to HawaiiNewsNow.com.
Arizona and Wisconsin didn’t immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Both de Laura and Latu were starters last season.
After playing two seasons at Washington State, de Laura transferred to Arizona and completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,685 yards with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in yards passing per game (307.1).
Latu spent two seasons at Utah before transferring to Wisconsin. He started 12 games for Wisconsin last season and had 55 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
