New complaint filed over North Kingstown ‘fat check’ scandal

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — A new civil complaint has been filed against the town of North Kingstown and the North Kingstown School District over a case involving a coach accused of conducting “naked fat tests” on student-athletes.

Aaron Thomas, formerly the boys basketball coach at North Kingstown High School, was criminally charged with child molestation and sexual assault in July 2022.

The most recent complaint stems from a third victim coming forward in the case, according to Burns & Levinson attorney Timothy Conlon, who released the following statement on Wednesday:

“Yesterday, we filed a civil complaint on behalf of a third individual former North Kingstown student and his family. Like the two prior suits filed on behalf of other individual former students, this action addresses the damage resulting from NKSD’s lack of oversight relative to Coach Aaron Thomas.

Much has been learned since our early complaints were filed, however, and much is new in the action filed yesterday.

First, the new complaint is now able to cite the fact that NKSD, through counsel, represented to United States Department of Justice that it did not contest the findings of Oliverio’s Phase 2 Report…”

Attorney Matthew Oliverio’s Phase 2 Report was set to address details that the district was allegedly on notice of reports that Thomas met with partially undressed male students alone in his office as early as June 2017 and September 2018.

The report continues to allege that the district failed to investigate the reports adequately and failed to monitor Thomas’s conduct after suggesting minimal changes to the “fat test” protocols.

Conlon’s statement went on to add:

“Second, this complaint makes explicit that what was uncovered in the prior investigations by Attorney Matt Oliverio and Retired Justice Susan McGuirl as to the handling of the Thomas matter was indicative of a broader lack of oversight and breakdowns within the North Kingstown School system relating to its handling of complaints of misconduct and training on protecting students.

Third, and finally, there is a significant expansion of the remedies we seek. This suit asserts civil rights violations against the Town of North Kingstown, arising out of the deliberate indifference of NKSD to the protection of its student’s rights, and the targeting of victims based on gender and race. Rhode Island law provides that such deliberate indifference is subject to what is termed ‘exemplary damages.’

Put simply, the law provides that reckless or callous indifference to the federally protected rights of others can be met with damages that provide for deterrence and punishment.

Closure on these matters, and a strong message to those responsible for our children require that kind of accountability.”

Thomas has a pre-trial conference scheduled for May 31.