PORTLAND — A Portland soccer coach is suing Clackamas County over sex abuse allegations that he says should have been dismissed before he went to trial.
KGW-TV reported that Joseph Leonetti alleges he was falsely arrested, maliciously prosecuted and denied constitutional rights.
Leonetti is suing Clackamas County and four sheriff’s investigators for $7.5 million.
He was coaching his daughter’s city league soccer team in 2013 when he was accused of sexual abuse by a 12-year-old girl on his team.
The lawsuit says the involvement of certain sheriff’s investigators prevented the case from being treated in a neutral manner.
The case went to trial in early 2015, but was dismissed soon after opening statements and after rumors that the girl fabricated the story of the abuse.
