Cheerleading coach sexually abused students for 15 years with husband’s help, suits say

A former Ohio teacher is facing criminal charges and two lawsuits after she was accused of sexually abusing multiple students.

Michal Paige Huck, a former substitute teacher and cheerleading coach at River Valley High School in Bidwell, was indicted on six counts of third-degree unlawful sexual misconduct with a minor in August, according to a Gallia County Sheriff’s Office news release.

She pleaded not guilty, and a trial is set for early next year, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Two lawsuits filed against Huck detail the accusations of sexual abuse of at least six students between 2004 and 2019. The criminal charges relate to incidents from 2003 to 2016, deputies said.

Information regarding Huck’s legal representation in the criminal case wasn’t immediately available on Nov. 28

The Lawsuits

Two lawsuits were filed against Huck: one on Nov. 20 and another a week later on Nov. 27.

The lawsuits also list Huck’s ex-husband as a defendant, who was a teacher and wrestling coach at River Valley High School. They accuse him of setting up meet-ups between Huck and students to engage in sexual abuse. He is also accused of watching the abuse.

McClatchy News is not naming Huck’s ex-husband because he has not been criminally charged as of Nov. 28.

The Gallia County Local Schools Board of Education and several former employees were also listed as defendants in the lawsuit, which says they knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

McClatchy News reached out to the Gallia County Local Schools Board of Education on Nov. 28 for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The accusations

In November 2004, Huck and her husband at the time held a “lock in” at their home for cheerleaders and wrestlers, according to the Nov. 20 complaint. During the lock in, the couple played pornography on a television for the students, the lawsuit says.

Then, Huck is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with several male students.

“Male students stood in a line and took turns having sex with Paige Huck in the bedroom, while (her husband) stood next to them and watched the sexual activity,” the lawsuit said.

Three cheerleaders witnessed this and reported it to school officials the next day, but nothing was done, the lawsuit says.

In another incident that year, a 16-year-old student attended a gathering at Huck’s home. While she was sleeping on the floor, she says Huck and her husband sexually assaulted her, according to the lawsuit.

That student reported the assault to a school guidance counselor and said the assistant principal overheard the conversation and told the girl, “We can talk about this later,” the lawsuit said. However, nothing was done, according to the complaint.

Between 2005 and 2006, Huck was accused of sexually abusing a 17-year-old student. She was accused of sexually abusing another student between 2003 and 2008, beginning when he was 13 and in middle school.

While Huck’s husband was driving home from a wrestling meet, Huck performed sex acts on the 13-year-old, with three other students in the van, according to the lawsuit.

The suit says Huck sexually assaulted another 17-year-old student at least 40 times between 2007 and 2008. Her husband would pick the student up from a bowling alley and drive him to their home for “the explicit purpose of sexual encounters with Paige Huck,” the lawsuit said.

In the first lawsuit filed by a former student referred to as “John Doe,” Huck is accused of sexually assaulting him for several years in several locations.

The second lawsuit filed by “John Doe 2” says Huck sexually assaulted him between 2016 and 2019. This came after reports of abuse were made known to officials and Huck resigned from her position as a teacher and coach, according to the suit.

What did the school do?

Both lawsuits say school officials were made aware of the abuse on several occasions and did nothing to stop it.

A statement from Superintendent Phillip Kuhn to WOWK said the district knows about the lawsuit but can’t address the specific accusations.

“The District has taken these allegations very seriously and have worked with law enforcement throughout the investigation of these claims,” he said in the statement to the outlet. “We will continue to make the safety of our students and staff a priority throughout this process.”

The lawsuits say there were “reports of abuse dating back to 2004, as well as personnel documentation dated on or about February 12, 2011, February 29, 2016, July 28, 2016, August 8, 2016, August 11, 2016, September 28, 2016 and March 19, 2019 that expressed and reiterated such concerns.”

However, even after Huck resigned from the school, she was allowed to continue attending school functions and events, even though she was supposed to be prohibited from entering school grounds, the lawsuits say.

“Paige Huck was given free rein to prey upon, groom, and ultimately have sexual contact with additional RVHS students from 2008 through 2019,” the lawsuits said.

In 2011, after an “inappropriate altercation” at a wrestling meet, Huck’s presence at the school was limited, the suits say. However, between 2014 and 2016, she was again allowed back on school campus, where she “initiated and maintained sexual contact with at least two additional RVHS students,” the lawsuits said.

In 2016, she was barred again from campus grounds and all activities that did not directly involve her children, according to the complaints. However, the lawsuits say she was allowed on campus again and sexually abused the students listed as John Doe and John Doe 2.

In 2016, a nude photo of Huck was found on John Doe 2’s cellphone and was reported to school officials, according to the complaint. However, the lawsuit says no reports were made to police and there was no investigation done on the school’s end. The sexual abuse against John Doe 2 continued on for three years, according to the lawsuit.

When John Doe refused to engage in any further sexual contact with Huck, her husband retaliated against him by physically abusing him during wrestling practices, the Nov. 20 lawsuit says. In one case, he was choked until he lost consciousness, according to officials.

In 2019, Huck was permanently banned from the school campus. Her husband at the time continued his employment at the school, the lawsuit says. It is not clear if he is employed there as of Nov. 28.

The two divorced in 2020, according to the lawsuits.

Bidwell is about 100 miles southeast of Columbus.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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