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USA Water Polo and a California club will reportedly pay $14 million to a group of players who alleged their coach sexually abused them between 2012 and 2017.
The plaintiffs, a dozen female water polo players, claimed that they were sexually abused by coach Bahram Hojreh for five years and both the local water polo organization and that national governing body, USA Water Polo, failed to protect them. The plaintiffs alleged that the abuse had been reported to both organizations in June and July of 2017 when players coached by Hojreh were accused of sexually abusing opponents during matches; however, no action was taken for another eight months.
“We have heard the plaintiffs’ testimony, and their allegations are heartbreaking,” Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, said in a statement after the $13.85 million settlement was announced. “We hope that this allows them to begin a new chapter in their lives.”
“The size of this watershed settlement reflects the severe harm done to our clients by former coach Bahram Hojreh and the extreme measures taken by USA Water Polo to evade responsibility for his reprehensible conduct,” the lawyer representing the plaintiffs said in a separate statement, according to Reuters.
Hojreh was accused of getting in the water with the players, often in one-on-one coaching sessions, and abusing them. He currently faces 34 criminal counts of sexual abuse in Orange County. He has pled not guilty, according to the Insurance Journal.
In addition, school districts in California where Hojreh worked currently face legal action.
USA Water Polo is not the first organization to face legal action over sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by a coach. Indeed, a number of national athletic organizations face allegations they failed to protect young players from sexual predators, including and USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming.
If you or a loved one was subjected to sexual abuse while participating in a youth organization, you may be eligible to join a sexual abuse lawsuit investigation.
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