Paragano.jpg

Coach Vincent Paragano and the Bernards High School fencing team celebrate at the NJSIAA State Championship Fencing meet in Rockaway in a February 2014 photograph.

(Alex Remnick/Star-Ledger)

BERNARDSVILLE — A former high school fencing coach whose job was not renewed by the school district has filed a libel lawsuit against the parents he claims led a fight against him.

Former fencing coach Vincent Paragano filed a lawsuit on June 5 in state Superior Court against Douglas and Monica Hahn alleging they began a campaign against him after their 16-year-old daughter, a member of the varsity fencing team, was disqualified from fencing for the team in a championship competition.

The Somerset Hills school district was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Paragano, a professional fencing coach, was a part-time contract coach and employee of the Somerset Hills Board of Education, serving as head fencing coach for Bernards High School during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, the complaint said.

The Hahns are also the owners of fencing-related businesses named "Fence-o-Graphy" and "Fencing Armor," which both feature their daughter's image in advertising and promotional materials, the complaint said.

Monica Hahn said Wednesday that she had yet to be served with the lawsuit and didn't know anything about it, so she would have no comment at the time.

Paragano alleges that the Hahns' daughter "displayed a tantrum" during a competition that resulted in her receiving a "black card," which disqualified her from competing in championship final team events. BEGIN RELATED LINKS

CONNECT WITH US

• Follow us on Twitter



• Like us on Facebook



• NJ.com/somerset



He alleges in the complaint that the Hahns started a campaign to blame him for their daughter's behavior, including trying to intimidate him with a false "harassment-intimidation-bullying" complaint, demanding that the school district terminate or not renew his coaching contact, and engaging in an email campaign to parents and fencers on the team as well as members of the school board, defaming Paragano.

He also claims that the Hahns' conduct was motivated to benefit their fencing-related businesses, and to deflect blame from their daughter onto him to aid her efforts to secure college athletic scholarship.

Paragano, who had been named "Coach of the Year" by the N.J. Interscholastic Fencing Coaches Association three times and once as "Coach of the Year" by the Star-Ledger, said that the Star-Ledger did not name him that title for 2014 due to the Hahns' bullying complaint. NJ.com is owned by the same parent company as the Star-Ledger.

His girls' foil squad won the State Squad Championship, their first, and his overall girls' team won the State Team Championship Finals that year, the complaint said.

But Bernards lost to Columbia in the 2014 NJSIAA State Championship, and Bernards finished No. 2 in the Star-Ledger final Top 10.

Paragano was named girl's fencing Coach of the Year in 2009, the Star-Ledger reported, when Paragano was still coaching for Gov. Livingston's team.

Paragano is demanding a jury trial and judgement against the Hahns for compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages, as well as court costs, attorney fees, and other relief.

"It is sad that the Hahn family would rather attack an excellent coach then discipline their child for inappropriate behavior," Paragano's attorney, Francine A. Gargano, said. "I also wonder why the did not attack the official who gave their daughter the black card if they believed her behavior to be appropriate."

Some Bernards High School parents petitioned the school district to save Paragano's job when the Board of Education considered terminating his contract. Parents said they were worried legal and ethical complaints that cost Paragano his attorney's license in April of 2013 would also cost him his district position.

Paragano was disbarred as an attorney in March 2013 for lying and double-dealing his former partners out of a real estate investment in 2002.

He had also been suspended for six months in 1999 for falsifying records at his law firm and using $16,426 for his own person use. And in 1989, he was reprimanded for improperly executing a supposedly sworn affidavit.

Note: An earlier version of this story did not have the 2014 state championship results, or the link to Paragano's Coach of the Year title.