INDIAN HILL, Ohio — Eden Castleberry has filed a lawsuit against the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District, the Indian Hill Football Club and several other people, including seven unnamed minors, claiming her 9-year-old son Will J Castleberry was the target of "a pattern of racial harassment, violence, and deliberate indifference by the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District and its officials."
The Castleberry family sat down for an exclusive interview with us Thursday alongside their attorney, Robert Thomas, a day after they filed the suit in U.S. District Court.
The lawsuit claims the harassment culminated with a pair of attacks on Will J at Indian Hill Elementary during recess by as many as eight other kids on Oct. 28, 2025. The Castleberry family said the kids used multiple racial slurs, including the N-word, during that incident.
"One of them was drop-kicking me ... the rest were punching me," Will J told us.
We asked what was going through his head during the incident.
"Will I die? What will happen to me? This is not a good moment," he said.
WATCH: We sit down with the Castleberry family after they sued the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District
Eden was sitting beside him as he answered, and she began to tear up.
"Where are the adults? I mean, they're holding him by his chest and drop kicking him in the ribs," she said.
Eden said the attack left her son with a concussion, bruised ribs and a bruised spleen, among other injuries.
Thomas provided us with a medical report from Oct. 29, the day after the alleged attack, listing a concussion and abdominal pain as symptoms and advising that Will J not view screens for one to two weeks.
The lawsuit alleges the problems began in the fall of 2024 when three unnamed teammates at the Indian Hill Youth Football Club referred to Will J by several racially problematic terms, including calling him "monkey" several times. Will J was the only black member of the team, according to the suit.
The family claims two teammates later attacked Will J after a football practice on Sept. 18, 2025, saying one teammate hit his head into the ground and the other "strangled him while he was pinned to the ground."
Thomas said after each of the incidents, the district either refused to take action or claimed they had no power to intervene since the incidents happened with the football club or after school hours.
"This whole case is about a pattern of not taking action," Thomas said.
The district issued a "no contact" order against Eden after the Oct. 28 incident. Eden said it was done hours after she informed the school she planned to file charges against the students involved.
In a letter from district officials provided to us by Thomas, the district explained their reasoning.
"This decision has been made to maintain a safe, positive, and supportive environment for all students, staff, and community members," the letter said.
We reached out to the district on Wednesday, and received a lengthy written response on Thursday morning:
"The Indian Hill Exempted Village School District takes any allegation of harassment or discrimination seriously. While we cannot comment on specific claims or individual students to protect privacy, we affirm our unwavering commitment to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. Every allegation of harassment or discrimination on our campus during school hours or during school-sponsored activities is investigated; we do not comment on ongoing investigations.
District policies strictly prohibit discriminatory or harassing behavior during school-sponsored services and activities. When concerns are brought to our attention regarding conduct within the scope of school authority, we respond promptly and in accordance with board policy and applicable law.
Numerous private organizations use district facilities outside of school hours as is required by Ohio Revised Code 3313.76 and allowed by board policy. The football program referenced in the complaint is one such organization—a private, non-profit entity registered with the Ohio Secretary of State. It is important to clarify that the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District and the Indian Hill Football Club are separate entities. Any suggestion that they are the same would be inaccurate and highly misleading. This is especially true when connected to allegations such as those set forth in the complaint.
While the Board does not have legal authority to regulate all student conduct outside of school-sponsored activities, we remain committed to appropriately responding to any behavior that occurs during school services or activities and to supporting students and families consistent with our policies and values."
Representatives with the Indian Hill Football Club didn't respond to our requests for comment when we reached out Thursday afternoon.
Thomas said the point of filing the lawsuit was to pressure district and football club officials to change.
"No student should have to go through what Will J went through," Thomas said.
Eden has pulled Will J from the district, but we asked him whether he would like to see things change at the school.
"Yeah, because I've been there," Will J said. "I've been to that school since preschool. Since preschool, I've made a lot of friends, and I thought it was going to be a really good school."
