COLUMBIA, SC – The world of figure skating is in the spotlight today after attorneys announced a federal lawsuit on behalf of two young South Carolina women (one a minor at the time of occurrence) who were sexually abused by their coach, a former Olympian. In addition to the coach, identified anonymously as “John Roe,” the lawsuit also anonymously identifies “XYZ Skating Rink, Inc.,” a skating rink in Irmo, SC, and “ABC Skating Federation, Inc.,” a national figure skating governing body based in Colorado, Springs, CO.
The victims are represented by nationally renowned civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers, Jessica Fickling, Alexandra Benevento and Pete Strom with Strom Law firm and experienced sexual assault attorney Randall Hood and Chad McGowan with McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, all of whom have a long history of representing the victims in cases like this across America.
According to the lawsuit, the coach’s sexual misconduct began as early as 2018, when one of the victims was only 14-years-old, and included everything from grooming and inappropriate comments and touching to rape. But attorneys say that if either the skating rink or governing authority had investigated the multiple sexual misconduct complaints made against the coach prior to 2018, he would have been fired and/or arrested well before the victims had ever met him.
“We keep seeing the same thing again and again,” said Hood. “Predators like this coach don’t get caught because the people in charge ignore the repeated complaint against them. If they refuse to protect our young athletes, the courts will do it for them.”
With this new lawsuit, the sport of figure skating join a growing list of sports like cheerleading and gymnastics where young minor athletes have found themselves the victims of sexual assault at the hands of coaches. Unfortunately, attorneys say today’s announcement is just the tip of the iceberg.
“We are incredibly proud to represent these young women for their courage and their determination. But this isn’t some isolated incident,” said Sellers. “We are confident that there are more victims out there, more young athletes who have suffered at the hands of this coach and others and we encourage them to come forward.”
“You may feel alone, but you’re not. We stand with you.”
Click HERE for a copy of the lawsuit.