DULUTH — The Warroad girls high school hockey coach has filed a defamation lawsuit against several parents of current and former players, following public accusations made about his alleged behavior.

David Marvin, who has coached the northern Minnesota team in the city dubbed “Hockeytown USA” for nearly two decades, claims that for months, the parents have made “baseless allegations, wild fabrications and false statements” about him, damaging his reputation, according to the suit.

Marvin accuses Shana and Matt Lanctot, Jeff and Patti Johnson, Coreen Lindquist and Kristin Coauette of making false claims about criminal activity, sexual harassment and abuse related to his team.

Several of those parents recently distributed a letter that lays out their allegations that they say violate school district and Minnesota State High School League policies. Some of them were interviewed on a local radio program and have made social media posts. In the letter, Marvin is accused of public urination, ignoring concussion protocol, making sexually harassing comments, bullying and drinking while supervising players at the state tournament, among other things.

The letter, which threatens a lawsuit if changes aren’t made, says the parents aren’t satisfied by the school district’s and school board’s responses to their complaints.

The parents “want to protect all players from horrific experiences that our children have endured as well as so many before them in the girls hockey program,” the letter reads.

The lawsuit says that the parents have “conducted a campaign” to have Marvin removed from his coaching duties.

His contract was renewed by the school board after an investigation was made into complaints, Superintendent Shawn Yates said in an interview. The school district has one complaint on record against Marvin — from this year — which resulted in no discipline.

District records show an assistant coach was disciplined this year and banned from staying with the team on overnight trips during the current season. She had been accused in the letter of passing out in a player’s hotel room and in bed with members of the team.

“The concerns raised have already been addressed,” Yates said. “And while some individuals may not be satisfied and are looking backward at years past, the district is looking forward.”

Several of the parents declined to speak on the record, but Susie Neist, whose daughter played for Marvin in recent years, said she commends their courage in speaking up.

“The parents listed in the lawsuit by David Marvin are salt-of-the-earth people that care about the well-being of kids,” she said. “Their individual efforts to come forward have given others the strength to share their stories.”

A statement from nonprofit Warroad Hockeytown gives its support to Marvin.

Citing “false information” relayed by several parents, the statement notes that “we fully support coach Marvin and his staff. … As allegations were brought forth, school administrators did their due diligence and appropriate action was taken.”

In 2022, a fired Woodbury High School girls basketball coach won his defamation lawsuit against a parent for spreading false information about him. The long-running case that ended with a settlement had previously led to a landmark ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2019 that high school coaches aren’t public figures under the First Amendment, so parents aren’t protected when making false claims against them.

An attorney for Marvin didn’t immediately return a call Thursday morning.

Marvin, who will earn about $8,200 for coaching this year, according to district records, coached teams that won state championships this year and in 2022, as well as 2010 and 2011.