PITTSBURGH — A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit filed against the Pittsburgh Penguins over alleged sexual assault by former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Clark Donatelli.
The suit was filed in Nov. 2020 by former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach Jarrod Skalde and his wife, Erin Skalde. It was alleged that Donatelli molested Erin Skalde during an outing on a road trip in 2018.
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The Skaldes accused the Penguins of negligently retaining a coach who sexually assaulted and harassed Erin Skalde and then retaliating against Jarrod Skalde for reporting the incident.
On Tuesday, the Penguins released the following statement regarding a settlement in the Skalde lawsuit:
“In June 2019, the Penguins received a report about an alleged incident in November 2018 involving the then head coach of the AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre and Erin Skalde, the wife of then Wilkes-Barre assistant coach Jarrod Skalde. Upon receiving this report, the Penguins immediately conducted a thorough investigation and took prompt action. Within a few days, the former coach who was alleged to have been involved in the incident departed from the organization.
“In November 2020, Jarrod and Erin Skalde filed a lawsuit against the Penguins and the former Wilkes-Barre coach. The Penguins and Skaldes have agreed to resolve all claims. Through this resolution, the Penguins hope to bring closure to the Skaldes, provide some measure of peace, and continue to encourage and promote a culture of openness, accountability, and respect at all levels of professional sports.”
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team is the American Hockey League affiliate of the Penguins and is run by the NHL club.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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