Ex-Hills Football Player's $15M Lawsuit Dismissed In Part

A portion of a federal lawsuit filed by one of nine former Wayne Hills High School football players accused of the aggravated assault of two students found beaten and left in the street was dismissed in federal court on Monday.

Troy Zaffino is suing the town and board of education for $15 million.

According to court documents, a judge granted a motion filed by Wayne Interim Superintendent of Schools Michael Roth and Wayne Board of Education trustees to dismiss the case against the school board.

However, township Mayor Christopher Vergaro, Police Chief John Reardon, Capt. James Clarke and others also were named as defendants in the lawsuit and so far, the case against the town and police officers has not been dismissed, according to Zaffino's attorney David Kreizer of the New York City firm Fisher, Byrialsen & Kreizer, PLLC.

Zaffino filed the federal lawsuit in August seeking damages for false arrest and a violation of his rights. with two counts of aggravated assault in November 2011 after the players allegedly attacked two Wayne Valley High School students at a Halloween party the month prior. The attacked students were left in the street, one of them unconscious.

Eight of the charged football players were juveniles at the time of the arrests. Seven of the players have since pleaded guilty to simple assault and were sentenced to probation. Zaffino claimed he was not involved in the assault whatsoever and that he was not even at the party in which the incident occured. Ultimately, charges against Zaffino were dropped by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

The players were arrested just before Wayne Hills, a seven-time state football champion team, was set to play Vernon in the first round of the North 1, Group 3 playoffs. All nine players were not allowed to play in the state sectional title game in which Hills defeated Old Tappan 15-12.

Wayne residents reacted to the situation and approached the board about coach Chris Olsen's handling of the situation. In January 2012, the Wayne Board of Education adopted a policy that would prohibit school district administrators from coaching sports, as Olsen also served as the athletic director.

Zaffino graduated Wayne Hills in June 2012.