A federal judge is moving forward with mediation in multiple civil rights lawsuits filed against Ursuline High School and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson held a conference call on Wednesday to discuss the progress of the cases, which allege a long-standing culture of violence and a tradition of hazing within the school's football program. The lawsuits, filed in September 2025, describe a series of incidents involving physical and sexual abuse.

Court documents detail misconduct during school-sanctioned out-of-state football camp trips between 2022 and 2025. The allegations include claims that players participated in a practice called "taking butts," which involved forcibly stripping teammates and committing sexual acts. Some of these attacks were allegedly recorded and shared on the team's group Snapchat, leading to claims of creating and distributing illegal images. One lawsuit also describes a June 2023 incident where a star football player allegedly sexually harassed and then physically attacked a 14-year-old female student during a summer gym class, causing serious injuries.

The complaints argue that school officials were deliberately indifferent and ignored the misconduct to protect the football program's reputation. According to the documents, coaches allegedly heard players discussing hazing plans on team buses but took no action to stop them.

During Wednesday's meeting, attorneys for the students and the diocese agreed to meet with a magistrate judge for mediation within the next 60 days to attempt to settle the legal dispute out of court. The court also appointed an attorney to represent several individual defendants who did not have a lawyer.

The cases are being coordinated with other similar lawsuits to share information and avoid repeating legal steps. A separate mediation session between the diocese and plaintiffs is already scheduled for Feb. 3 via video conference.

Judge Pearson set a follow-up meeting for May 6 to check on the status of the settlement talks. If no agreement is reached by then, the court will set final deadlines for evidence and a trial date. Everyone involved remain under a court order that limits what they can say publicly about the ongoing litigation.