PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A new lawsuit has been filed in the so-called "naked fat test" scandal that has rocked North Kingstown.
In the civil complaint, filed Friday, a former North Kingstown High School student athlete alleges Aaron Thomas, who was the school’s longtime basketball coach, would repeatedly conduct “growth plate” examinations that allegedly involved putting his hands down the boy's shorts.
Attorney Timothy Conlon -- who represents the former student and his parents -- said Thomas would place his hands “down the boy’s shorts and feeling the boy’s hip and groin area within inches of his genitals.”
“These ‘examinations’ continued over the course of two seasons and stopped only after Thomas was pulled from the team bus on the way to a game,” Conlon said.
The student is identified as “John Doe 46” in the filing, and went to the high school until the spring of 2022. The lawsuit accused the school of failing to be truthful with parents about why Thomas was removed from the team bus.
“The basketball team parents, including Mother Doe 46 and Father Doe 46, were so in the dark as to the true reasoning for Thomas’ removal (believing it to be related to a family member of Thomas declining health) that they organized food delivery, and flowers to his home,” the lawsuit states.
At one point after Thomas’ departure and in the wake of the allegations against him becoming public, the student athlete suffered a panic attack during a basketball practice and was moved to another room to “stabilize his breathing.”
When the student’s parents met with the athletic director about the incident, the lawsuit states they were told by the school official that "they suspected something like this [panic attack] could happen."
The lawsuit, like three others, names town officials and council members, along with former school athletic employees, teachers and administrators as defendants. Thomas is not a defendant in any of the civil suits.
It accuses the school department of negligence by ignoring Thomas’ alleged behavior.
“Thomas’ inappropriate and unprofessional conduct continued without any meaningful supervision, and indeed with the tacit approval of the administration for the two decades of his employment,” the lawsuit states.
In the wake of the scandal, the lawsuit claims the school did nothing to help the affected students, like counseling or other interventions. As a result it added to “the shame, embarrassment and stress that John Doe 46 was subjected to as a child who realized he had been tricked by Coach into allowing the his Coach to put his hand down his pants.”
Ralph Mollis, the town manager for North Kingstown, declined to comment citing the ongoing litigation.
The allegations differ from previous complaints about the former coach. As Target 12 first reported in 2021, several former student-athletes came forward to accuse the former coach of conducting the naked fat-tests.
The students alleged Thomas, who worked and coached at North Kingstown High School for nearly three decades, would regularly call students into his office and direct them to strip down to their underwear.
The former students said Thomas would then ask if they were “shy or not shy,” and if they responded that they weren’t shy, he would direct them to take off their underwear before conducting a series of body-fat tests on their bodies.
In 2022 Thomas was charged one count of second degree sexual assault and one count of second degree child molestation. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled for April.
Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.