KALISPELL — On June 19, in the District Court of Montana, a jury ruled in favor of former Kalispell Glacier wrestler Clifford Nance and his father, Kirk Nance, for Title IX violations against Kalispell Public Schools and Glacier staff.
The incident stems from Jan. 7, 2023, when Clifford Nance was told about the experience of one of his teammates being sexually harassed, and a report was filed with Kalispell P.D. two days later.
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The jury awarded each plaintiff $1 in damages. Their attorney, Avery Field of Bliven Law, said the case was never about money — it was about putting the school district on notice.
“I think what it means for the school district is that the school district needs to take a closer look at its policies and practices with regard to how it handles complaints from parents and students,” Field said in a phone call with MTN.
Field also brought up some of the allegations the plaintiffs brought forward, including Kirk Nance being barred from wrestling practices two days after filing a report of sexual harassment and Clifford not receiving proper coaching after the report was filed.
MTN has reached out to Kalispell Public Schools and their attorney for comment but has not heard back.
Field's firm is also representing a former Glacier athlete who filed against Kalispell Public Schools in January for alleged sexual assault by a wrestling teammate. The case is set for pretrial July 8 in Missoula.
