Ex-basketball coach at Henderson Christian school accused of sexual relationship with student

A now-former basketball coach at a private school is accused of a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old player whom he married years later, according to a lawsuit filed March 7.

The lawsuit was filed in District Court by Jordan Rae Anderson Donleavy against Lake Mead Christian Ministries, doing business as Lake Mead Christian Academy. The complaint accuses the school of negligence and intentionally causing emotional distress.

In an interview with the Review-Journal on Thursday, Donleavy spoke out about coming to terms with the trauma she said she experienced.

“It’s taken years to understand the trauma and the reality of what my life was like,” she said Thursday. “It’s taken years to get to the point where I can confidently, openly talk about all of the different stuff that happened.”

Although he is not listed as a defendant in the case, the lawsuit accuses Derek Anderson, the now-former basketball coach, of having a sexual relationship with Donleavy, beginning when she was 15.

Neither Lake Mead Christian Academy nor Anderson responded to multiple requests for comment this week.

The sexual relationship dates back to the summer of 2009, the lawsuit states, when Donleavy had just finished her freshman year at LMCA, a Christian school in Henderson. Anderson, who was married with two children enrolled at the school, was the girls’ basketball coach and assistant athletic director, according to the complaint.

Anderson and Donleavy married in 2014, had a daughter in 2015 and later divorced, the lawsuit states.

Donleavy said that at age 15, she did not understand how problematic the situation was. It was when she had her daughter that she really woke up.

“You just kind of look at the life you have and you think, ‘Oh my gosh, this is completely inappropriate,’” she said.

Coach accused of grooming

The lawsuit states Donleavy was a star on the basketball team and that Anderson took a “special interest” in her. The complaint claims that Anderson made her feel comfortable — she spoke about her home issues, and he told her about his marital problems.

The two first had sexual intercourse in July 2009 over a game of truth or dare, according to the lawsuit. For the next 2½ years, the two had sex two to three times per week, the complaint said.

The couple got married in November 2014 and had a daughter in May 2015. 

During their marriage, Anderson convinced her to have sexual relationships with his friends, according to the lawsuit. Donleavy also noticed that her husband enjoyed pornography with younger-looking girls/teens, the complaint said. 

She suffered emotionally and fell into deep depression and drug use, the lawsuit said. The two finalized their divorce in 2019.

School accused of negligence

The lawsuit said that the school should have known and taken action on the inappropriate relationship.

The complaint describes several conversations between Donleavy’s parents — whom the lawsuit described as becoming increasingly frustrated — and Anderson as well as school administrators.

In an instance in 2010, the lawsuit alleges, the parents met with Anderson and his parents and confronted them about phone calls and texts between him and Donleavy. When Donleavy’s parents asked if there was a sexual relationship, Anderson denied it and “hung his head in his hands and began to cry,” according to the complaint.

In October 2010, Anderson’s wife at the time told school administrators that she had caught Anderson and Donleavy in her bedroom. The wife then moved out, the lawsuit said.

In March 2011, a friend of Donleavy’s parents told Anderson to resign by the end of the day, and he offered to do so at the end of the school year, according to the complaint.

The family then received a letter from Anderson’s father, which they interpreted as blackmail, according to the lawsuit. The letter, the lawsuit said, included “options” regarding the conditions of Anderson’s resignation, including that Donleavy’s mom would lose her job at the school and Donleavy would no longer be able to be on the basketball team.

After a March 2011 meeting, school administrators told Donleavy’s parents that they would not contact police, but they would have Anderson resign, according to the lawsuit. They also said that he would not be allowed on the property, although Donleavy’s mother said she saw him multiple times after that, according to the complaint.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.