By admin 
PEORIA — A former Peoria High School student has notified the Peoria Unified School District that they intend to sue, claiming negligence after being a victim in the Patrick Battillo case.
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Patrick Battillo, also known in the Valley as Suns Superfan “Mr. ORNG,” was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in April for child sex crimes. Battillo was convicted of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Battillo was the former basketball coach for Peoria High School and was arrested two years ago.
Battillo was found to have solicited sexual content from his students. The claim detailed the alleged victim’s correspondence with Battillo, including the solicitation of the video of the student who was a minor at the time.
A new notice of claim filed by a former student and his attorney claims the student was a victim.
“The district knew or should have known the dangers posed by Battillo. PUSD acted with gross negligence in its hiring, retention, and supervisory responsibilities, repeatedly failing to protect [claimant],” the claim stated.
The document continues to say the conduct was not an isolated incident and that the district and Peoria High “failed to report and prevent a decade-long pattern of staff misconduct.” In the claim, the attorney for the alleged victim lays out other former educators, including another former Peoria High coach who was acquitted on charges of sexual contact with a minor. It also listed a former Sun Valley Elementary educator who was convicted for child sex crimes in 2023.
The claim said as a result of “negligence and breach of duty” by the district, the alleged victim was “sexually exploited, suffered emotional trauma, distress and permanent psychological injury.”
Attorneys for the former student say they will settle for $650,000 to resolve the claims.
This is the fourth notice of claim or lawsuit served to the district in the last year as the investigation continues into two former Centennial High educators accused of misconduct with the same student. Most recently, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office sent the case back to Peoria Police for a second time as they continue their investigation.
Two other claims, one for $20 million and another for $7 million, are connected to the Centennial High investigation. Another had to do with a former Sun Valley Elementary teacher who was convicted in 2023.
A district spokesperson provided ABC15 with a statement regarding the new notice of claim:
“We have received the notice of claim and have turned it over to legal counsel to evaluate.
The Peoria Unified School District prioritizes the safety of students and any time there is an allegation of harm, we want to address it. Our employees receive a minimum of two mandated reporting trainings each year. Staff also receive training on recognizing and reporting abuse, including grooming behaviors, consistent with state requirements. Board policy sets clear expectations for appropriate staff-student boundaries and communication, and background checks and fingerprint clearance cards are required for all employees and volunteers who supervise children.
Peoria Unified maintains a confidential, anonymous reporting system, the Safe School Line and our online reporting form, so students can report safety concerns directly to district staff. The Safe School Line number is provided on the back of every high school student’s ID. Calls are reviewed during school business hours, and district staff follow up on every concern. Depending on the concern, we also involve the district’s safety team, human resources, Title IX and local law enforcement. District-wide, we reinforce the “See Something, Hear Something, Say Something, Do Something” framework to encourage students and families to speak up.”
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