Parents admit harassment accusations against longtime Warroad girls hockey coach were untrue

The parents who accused the head coach of the powerhouse Warroad High School girls hockey program of sexual harassment and hazing have admitted to making false statements and have settled a defamation lawsuit with the coach.

The settlement, filed this week in Roseau County, includes a $17,000 payment to the coach, David Marvin, and a $5,000 donation to a nonprofit supporting mental health among young athletes, as well as acknowledgment by the parents that the accusations they made on social media and in a podcast interview over a 10-month period were false.

Marvin’s lawsuit alleged that the parents, whose daughters all played in the Warroad High hockey program, made the false statements to harm his reputation and get him fired.

Marvin has coached Warroad High girls hockey for about 17 years and has won five state championships, including in each of the past three years.

The parents listed in the lawsuit are Kristin Coauette Johnson of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; Coreen Lindquist and Jeff and Patti Johnson, all of Warroad; and Matt and Shana Lanctot of Red Lake Falls, Minn.

According to the suit, the parents first made the allegations to school officials, who then launched an investigation. Marvin was never disciplined, and his contract to coach at the school was later renewed.

In October 2023, the parents took to social media, publishing a letter and making other statements accusing the coach of urinating in front of players, making sexually harassing comments and bullying. Two parents participated in a podcast interview and repeated the allegations.

As the comments circulated publicly, school district officials released several statements in support of Marvin and called the allegations “false information.”

As part of the settlement, five of the six parents admitted to making untrue statements about Marvin and said they regretted the impact the statements had on his reputation and the hockey program. They acknowledged that they didn’t verify the accuracy of the letter before posting it.

The sixth parent, Kristin Coauette Johnson, did not admit to making untrue statements, according to court records, but said only that she did not write the letter containing the allegations. She was the only parent required under the settlement’s terms to pay Marvin.

Lindquist and the Lanctots agreed to donate $5,000 in Marvin’s name to Sophie’s Squad, an organization focused on improving mental health for young athletes.

In 2018, Marvin’s 19-year-old son, a hockey player, died by suicide. His family helped create the MAX Foundation several years later, which raises funds to support youth mental health.