A 15-year-old Washington State girl and her mother have filed a federal lawsuit against several school officials and athletic organizations after the teen was allegedly SAd by a male wrestler during a girls wrestling tournament in December 2025.
The lawsuit, filed June 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, names the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Puyallup School District, and several individual school officials as defendants. The case is being handled by Alliance Defending Freedom.
According to the verified complaint, Kallie Keeler (named K.M.K in the lawsuit), a sophomore at Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington, competed in the Lady Jag Kickoff girls wrestling tournament on December 6, 2025, at Emerald Ridge High School.
During her fifth and final match of the day, the complaint alleges that her opponent, a male athlete competing on the girls team from Emerald Ridge High School, reached between her legs and digitally penetrated her vagina through multiple layers of clothing for several seconds.
Kallie Keeler is described in the complaint as a wrestler who has competed in the sport since age four, following in the footsteps of her three older brothers. She was competing in the 190 lb. junior varsity weight class and had a chance to place third overall in the tournament.
The complaint states that Kallie Keeler and her mother, Stephanie Brown, were not informed that the opponent was male before the match. “Had K.M.K. and her mother known, K.M.K. would not have taken the mat,” the complaint reads.
After the match, Kallie Keeler ran to her mother, sobbing and visibly distressed. Ms. Brown submitted a written complaint to the school by email two days later, on December 8, 2025, and also provided video footage of the match to coaching staff.
Under Washington state law, school personnel are required to report assault complaints to law enforcement within 48 hours. According to the lawsuit, that did not happen. The complaint alleges the District failed to report the incident to law enforcement until nearly two months later, after a local journalist contacted the school for comment.
The story eventually became a national news story following a February 9, 2026, video interview published by journalist Brandi Kruse. The U.S. Department of Education subsequently announced an investigation into the school district.
Kallie Keeler also faced a hostile environment at school following the incident going public. According to the complaint, security officers stopped acknowledging her, coaches avoided her in hallways, and fellow students made offensive comments.
“You shouldn’t even be on the wrestling team if you can’t handle an oil check,” one student reportedly said.
The lawsuit brings claims under Title IX, the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and a state-created danger theory. Among other forms of relief, the plaintiffs are seeking injunctive relief that would prevent males from competing against Keeler in girls sports, correction of tournament records to award her third place, and damages to be determined at trial.
The District’s Title IX investigation, which opened in late February 2026, remains ongoing.
