Sex Abuse News & Information
NY Times investigative report on USTA
David W. Chen from the New York Times takes a look at the US Tennis Association and its failure to protect young athletes from a serial sexual predator. Read the USTA Burgos story in full. Here is a summary: According to the New York Times, with growing cases of sexual misconduct between sports coaches and athletes, the United States Olympic Committee reported, in September 2014, that all sports, except tennis, had taken the initiative to protect athletes from abusers. At the time, Gordon Smith, the tennis association’s executive director, and chief operating officer, “objected to a ‘single mandatory national entity’ overseeing abuse cases across federations.” Adding that “a sport should be able to ‘opt-out of the centralized structure’ if it could police itself.” The problem with self-policing…
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USA Swimming Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
Three lawsuits filed against USA Swimming allege it enabled sexual predator coaches to abuse young girls Six victims identify former coaches Everett Uchiyama, Mitch Ivey and Andy King as their sexual abusers; King is a convicted child molester who is serving 40 years for his crimes. The three lawsuits that were filed in early June 2020 are the latest volley against USA Swimming, which has come under fire for decades for condoning a culture that allowed young girls to be repeatedly abused by their coaches. USA Swimming is the National Governing Body for the sport; it oversees more than 2,800 swim teams and is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competitions, including the Olympics. Pacific Swimming and Southern California Swimming, which are local…
Read More United States Tennis Association named in sexual abuse lawsuit
Civil lawsuit filed on victim’s behalf by Robert Allard of Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard When “W.S.” met Coach Normandie Burgos he was just seven years old, a young boy who was good at tennis and wanted to get better. There’s no disputing that Burgos wanted W.S. to become a great tennis player – he repeatedly told W.S.’s parents that he was a “champion.” But as the years passed, W.S. grew up and Coach Burgos began to want more. He wanted a sexual plaything. W.S. is now 20 years old and is in counseling as a result of being abused. San Jose attorney Robert Allard recently filed a civil lawsuit on his behalf against the United States Tennis Association and its regional affiliate, USTA NorCal, for…
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Former Canyon Aquatics Club coach David Kuck files whistleblower lawsuit
USA Swimming and Canyons Aquatic Club ignored repeated complaints involving alleged predator coach Jay Anderson Former Canyons Aquatic Club head coach David Kuck has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Canyons Aquatic Club, a USA Swimming club. The lawsuit alleges that Kuck was fired after he notified officials from Canyons Aquatic Club, as well as USA Swimming and its regional arm Southern California Swimming, of multiple incidents of sexual abuse committed by former USA swimming coach member Jeremy “Jay” Anderson. Anderson recently died in the custody of US Marshals in Costa Rica after he fled the United States while facing criminal sexual abuse charges in Los Angeles. In April of 2018, the lawsuit claims that a number of inappropriate text messages from Anderson were discovered on…
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Assembly Bill 218 brings an opportunity for justice for sexual abuse victims
For decades, powerful institutions have used legal loopholes to evade accountability by blocking sexual abuse victims from filing lawsuits for justice. But Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218) is now the law. It changes everything for thousands of victims who were previously sexually abused or assaulted by teachers, coaches, counselors, janitors, childcare workers, clergy, or bus drivers to name a few. Effective Jan. 1, 2020, a three-year “look back window” will open for previously time barred claims and it will extend the civil statute of limitations to age 40, allowing victims to file a civil lawsuit against schools, sports organizations, youth groups, childcare centers, or any other institution that violated their trust. The attorneys at Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard are recognized as one of the best…
Read MoreLos Banos Victim Impact Statement
Gary Bettencourt, former Pacheco High School drama and English teacher, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for sexually abusing two former students more than 10 years ago and, more recently, to having sexually abused another student in 2015. Because of the law, the victims from more than 10 years ago (2005-2006) were denied civil justice. A sexual abuse victim of convicted Los Banos High School teacher Gary Bettencourt read this statement in court: As many of you would imagine, this is going to be one of the most difficult, and at the same time, saddest moments of my life. I’ve never been inside a courtroom prior to this situation, and I never intended on it. But looking back now on my…
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Back to school sexual abuse safety tips from the law firm of Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard
Record number of educators continue losing their teaching credential due to sex crime convictions, yet schools are not implementing proactive prevention training. With the month of August signaling the start of another school year, the San Jose law firm of Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard is urging parents and school officials to be aware of teachers who exhibit predatory “red flag” behavior, which almost always precedes the sexual abuse of a student. “Sexual predators signal their intent to sexually abuse a student by slowly crossing the boundaries established to protect students,” said former San Jose police sergeant and sex crimes detective Mike Leininger. “The reality is that predators are not caught abusing children, but they can be caught breaking rules and crossing boundaries if educators and…
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Sonora High School coach Amy Emerald facing sexual abuse charges
Amy Emerald, Sonora High School girls’ basketball coach is facing charges of sexually abusing a former 15-year-old student. The question remains, what did the school know about the coach, and what did they do to stop her?
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John Fickas facing sexual assault charges in Monterey County
John Fickas is charged with assaulting two victims, but according to law enforcement, there may be many more possible victims. Fickas served as a volunteer coach at North Salinas High School and Alvarez High School. He was also a former school board member and provided consulting services to many Salinas-area politicians.
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Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P.
96. North Third Street, Suite 620
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-289-1417