Cheerleaders were sexually abused by coaches in South Carolina, new lawsuit alleges

USA Today

By Clare Amari and Kathryn Casteel
Picture: USA Today
Picture: USA Today

Multiple cheerleading coaches have been accused of a wide range of misconduct and illicit sexual behavior with minors in a new federal lawsuit filed in South Carolina.

Among the coaches is Rockstar Cheer founder Scott Foster, who died by suicide last week. Foster is accused of soliciting sex and explicit photographs from athletes under his care. However his behavior, the lawsuit alleges, is a symptom of a much wider problem.

The suit, filed Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina, names several defendants – including Foster’s estate, his widow Kathy Foster, Rockstar Cheer and Dance Inc., national cheerleading organizations, the United States All Star Federation and Varsity Spirit LLC, and corporate entities Charlesbank Capital Partners and Bain Capital. According to the lawsuit, Bain bought Varsity Spirit from Charlesbank in 2018.

In over 44 pages, the complaint, filed on behalf of six anonymous plaintiffs by attorneys from Strom Law Firm, details an exploitative system with little accountability that “created, organized and propagated a system of young-athlete abuse against innocent victims.” 

Publish : 2022-09-04 07:31:00

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