Sexual assault lawsuit announced against figure skating coach

Sexual assault lawsuit announced against figure skating coach

Photo: Lee Williams-ABC Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– On Friday attorney’s Bakari Sellers and Randall Hood announced a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of two women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by their figure skating coach.

One of the two women was a minor at the time of the alleged abuse by the coach who is also a former Olympian, say attorneys.

According to a news release sent out on behalf of the attorney’s, the lawsuit focuses on the former Olympian and a national figure skating organization. The lawsuit did not name the individuals or  the skating rink.

The lawsuit states that the coach’s sexual misconduct began as early as 2018, when one of the victims was only 14-years-old.

Also, the lawsuit included information about grooming, inappropriate comments and touching and rape.

“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,” says Attorney Randall Hood.

The attorneys said 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 before the victims had ever met him.