Pittsburgh Penguins Settle Lawsuit Alleging Sexual Assault

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Pittsburgh Penguins have settled a lawsuit that contended the former coach of the organization's Wilkes-Barre-Scranton minor league team sexually assaulted an assistant coach's wife during a 2018 team road trip.

Attorneys representing the former assistant, Jarrod Skalde, and his wife, Erin Skalde, announced the settlement Tuesday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

A lawsuit filed last year alleged that Clark Donatelli, the former head coach, groped Erin Skalde when the two of them were briefly alone after Donatelli, Erin and Jarrod Skalde had dinner together. Donatelli allegedly continued to grope Erin Skalde while they were in the back of a vehicle taking them and Jarrod Skalde back to their hotel, the lawsuit asserted.

No criminal charges were ever filed in connection with the alleged incident.

The Pens announced that Donatelli had resigned as head coach of Wilkes-Barre-Scranton due to personal reasons in July 2019. Skalde's contract was not renewed in May 2020.

"We are pleased to announce the resolution of the matter involving Erin Skalde and the Pittsburgh Penguins, which has come to satisfactory conclusion for all parties involved," Romanucci & Blandin, the law firm representing the Skaldes, stated in a news release. "We appreciate the collaboration the team has shown in acknowledging the concerns of our client."