The Lapwai School District settled a damage claim lodged by brothers David and Daniel Feucht who said that as members of the football team in 1998 they were the victims of assaults, including mock rapes, on a bus returning from a game. Neither the district nor the Feuchts, now students at the University of Idaho, would disclose terms. The brothers and their parents originally filed a $1.5 million claim against the district, charging federal civil rights violations. They named school administrators as well as team coaches and members, contending similar incidents were routine in the football program over the years. The alleged incident was the result of an agreement between the Lapwai and Culdesac school districts that enabled Culdesac students like the Feuchts to play on the Lapwai team. The original damage claim suggested racial overtones, stating that the four Culdesac students on the bus were white and those from Lapwai were all Nez Perce tribal members. The Feuchts claimed they were assaulted, sexually abused and battered by Lapwai students in a ritual referred to as ‘punishment.” Coaches and the bus driver allegedly saw or heard the commotion over a two-hour period. Criminal misdemeanor charges were lodged against six of the students and a coach, officials said.
