Six women swimmers have filed lawsuits against USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming, claiming the organization failed to protect them from coaches who sexually abused the women when they were teens and preteens, The New York Times reports.

In total three complaints were filed in California state courts — two in Alameda County and one in Orange County. 

A new California law, Assembly Bill 218, has established a three-year look-back window that allows sexual assault victims to file lawsuits that previously would have been prohibited due to the statute of limitations. The law went into effect Jan. 1. The swimmers filed their lawsuits in May and June, detailing claims dating to the 1980s and 1990s.

In each USA Swimming lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse the organization of refusing to address the “predatory behavior” of its coaches, including former U.S. Olympic team coach Mitch Ivey, among others. By failing to take any action, according to the lawsuits, USA Swimming fostered “a culture of abuse that exposed dozens of underage swimmers to sexual abuse and harassment.“

In failing to report the abuse, the swimmers claim that USA Swimming prioritized its reputation over the athletes’ safety.

The swimmers characterized the culture within USA Swimming as a “toxic environment” and said they hoped that filing the lawsuits would help hold the organization accountable and encourage other swimmers to share their stories.

USA Swimming Lawsuit Allegations

Swimmer Suzette M. chided USA Swimming for its alleged failure to take responsibility. “If I have the courage to tell my story on a national stage, USA Swimming should have the courage to clean house and make this sport safer for all children.”

Two of the suits name Coach Ivey, the former U.S. Olympic team coach, and Andrew King, a well-known youth swim coach in California. In one complaint, King is accused of sexually abusing four of the women while he was their coach decades ago.

King allegedly approached former swimmer Debra G.’s parents in the 1980s asking to coach her when she was a pre-teen, per a report from The Daily Beast. He quickly began grooming her at San Ramon Valley Aquatics, and eventually sexually assaulted her at the age of 12 during USA Swimming–sanctioned meets, according to the lawsuit. When Debra was 15, King allegedly raped her for the first time. One year later, when King was 37, he asked Debra to marry him. King’s proposal led Debra to quit swimming entirely, according to her USA Swimming lawsuit.

USA Swimming and Pacific Swimming enabled King “to use his position of authority to manipulate and sexually assault over a dozen minor female swimmers over a 30-year-period,” according to the lawsuit.

Indeed, King’s abuse of young swimmers was an “open secret,” Debra alleges, as competitors brought it up at swim meets. Allegations against King date back to the 1980s. In 2009, after molesting, raping, and impregnating a 14-year-old swimmer, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

In another lawsuit, plaintiff Suzette M. says that Coach Ivey, who had a history of making inappropriate advances toward underage girls, began grooming her at age 14 and abusing her at age 16. Suzette claims that Ivey had a friendship with King, who was coaching the SRV Aquatics organization that Suzette was a member of. 

Suzette says she eventually joined Ivey’s CPH Swim Club and when she was 17, Ivey impregnated her. Suzette claims that when she told Ivey about her pregnancy he responded that “it was her problem to deal with.” She had an abortion, which caused her to suffer both physical and emotional hardships, and left her unable to train for eight weeks, preventing her from training and qualifying for the 1984 Summer Olympics, according to her lawsuit.

According to Suzette, when she was 17, she swam for Ivey’s CPH Swim Club and was engaged to marry him as well. When she was a freshman in college, Suzette claims that she discovered Ivey had lied to her about having a relationship with another underage swimmer and she broke off the engagement.

She says that both USA Swimming and Pacific Swimming were aware that Ivey was in a relationship with her when she was a minor but never informed parents or swimmers and neither organization banned Ivey from coaching. Allegedly, USA Swimming only took action against Ivey after the media began reporting stories about his alleged abuse. 

In a separate USA Swimming lawsuit, Tracy P. says that while she was a member of Social Aquatics she was assaulted by her coach, Everett Uchiyama when she was 16 years old. He kept her in a “dominated relationship for years after she reached the age of majority,” according to her lawsuit. Uchiyama was allegedly inappropriate with many minor female swimmers, kissing them on the lips, showering with them, and giving them full-body massages, among other inappropriate conduct, the suit states. 

Tracy says that USA Swimming was aware of Uchiyama’s pattern of inappropriate behavior and that he had been dismissed from his position at another swim club because of this conduct, yet Social Aquatics hired him anyway. 

Many of the swimmers say they were abused at USA Swimming events but officials did nothing to stop it.

USA Swimming had been aware of the abuse long before the organization finally removed the coaches and only did so because of outside pressure, according to the lawsuits.

If you or someone you love has suffered from abuse in a sports organization, you may be able to file a lawsuit against your abuser as well as the organization that allowed the abuse to occur by its actions and inactions.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

The USA Swimming Lawsuits are Case No. RG20063350, in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda; Case No. RG20063377, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Alameda; and Case No. Unavailable, in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange. 

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.