Hudson Valley Coach Pleads Guilty in Sexual Harassment Case

A former Hudson Valley college coach charged with sexually harassing his players won’t receive jail time or have to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to forcible touching.

Former Nyack College softball coach Kurt Ludwigsen was originally charged with over 200 sex-related charges. In April of 2015, the Ridgewood, New Jersey man was charged with seven counts of felony coercion in the first degree, 94 counts of forcible touching, 94 counts of sexual assault in the third degree and two counts of harassment in the second degree.

According to Rockland County prosecutor Richard Moran, Ludwigsen pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of forcible touching. He’ll be sentenced on March 29 and is expected to get three years probation plus community service.

Ludwigsen won’t have to register as a sex offender. “Because of the ages of young woman nothing he was charged was a registerable sex offense,” Moran told Hudson Valley Post. “Even though it’s a sex offense in nature, there is nothing he could legally be mandated to register as a sex offender.”

Ludwigsen was fired from his coaching position at Nyack. According to Moran, nothing legally would stop Ludwigsen from being hired as a coach in the future, but “google” could hurt his prospective employment chances.

Ludwigsen still faces a civil lawsuit from some former players. Six Nyack Collage softball players filed a federal lawsuit against Nyack College officials and Ludwigsen on sexual-harassment allegations.

According to the lawsuit, Ludwigsen routinely licked his players’ ears, kissed their lips and faces, slapped their buttocks, grabbed their breasts, told them to sit on his laps, and laid on top of them. He also invited porn star Allie Haze to practice with the team and told his players to get life counselling sessions from Haze.