Ex-AHL coach Jarrod Skalde, wife reach settlement with Penguins after sexual assault claim
Former minor-league coach Jarrod Skalde and his wife, Erin, have reached a settlement with the Pittsburgh Penguins in connection to sexual assault allegations levied against former American Hockey League coach Clark Donatelli.
The lawyers for the Skaldes announced Tuesday that a resolution had been reached, calling it a "satisfactory conclusion for all parties involved."
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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The Skaldes had been preparing to file a second lawsuit against Donatelli, while naming the Penguins, former Penguins assistant GM Bill Guerin, and owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux as dependents, last week in Rhode Island.
This was after a lawsuit was filed last November in a Pennsylvania court room.
Skalde worked as an assistant coach under Donatelli for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for one season.
The Skaldes allege that Donatelli assaulted Erin after a dinner on a road trip in Providence, inappropriately touching her on two occasions. They say one assault happened without Jarrod present, while the second occurred in the back seat while he was in the front of the car.
Jarrod Skalde reported the incident to management at least twice, and claims he was eventually fired for complaining about it a second time. The Penguins maintain that Skalde was let go for budgetary reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, disputing his claims of wrongful termination.
Donatelli left the organization shortly after Skalde first reported the incident, or almost a year after Skalde's eventual dismissal.
In Tuesday's statement, Erin Skalde called the last three years "deeply challenging," and said that her plan now is to advocate for other victims of sexual assault.
Donatelli moved on to a coaching position in Germany before being dismissed in September.
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