There is a long history of sexual abuse within USA Swimming, with allegations dating back several decades. The organization has been criticized for its handling of abuse allegations, and survivors have accused USA Swimming of failing to take adequate steps to protect athletes from abuse.

Some of the most high-profile cases of sexual abuse within USA Swimming include:

Rick Curl: Former coach Rick Curl was accused of sexually abusing one of his swimmers, Kelley Davies Currin, when she was a teenager. Currin came forward with her story in 2012, and Curl eventually pleaded guilty to the charges against him. USA Swimming was criticized for failing to investigate allegations of abuse against Curl when they were first reported in the 1980s.

Andy King: Former coach Andy King was convicted of sexually abusing one of his swimmers, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2014. USA Swimming was accused of failing to investigate allegations of abuse against King when they were first reported.

These cases, and many others like them, have led to calls for greater accountability and transparency within USA Swimming. The organization has implemented some reforms in recent years, including stronger background checks for coaches and officials, and the creation of a Safe Sport program to address incidents of abuse. However, survivors and advocates continue to call for more systemic changes to prevent future incidents of abuse within the sport of swimming.

Allard has argued that USA Swimming has failed to take adequate steps to protect its athletes from abuse and has called for greater accountability and transparency from the organization. He has also been a strong advocate for systemic changes within the sport of swimming to prevent future incidents of abuse.

In addition to his legal work, Allard has been a strong advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and has worked to raise public awareness about the issue. He has spoken at conferences and events about the need for greater accountability and transparency within USA Swimming and has been a vocal critic of the organization’s handling of abuse allegations.

Overall, Allard’s work has been instrumental in bringing attention to the issue of sexual abuse within USA Swimming and in holding the organization accountable for its failures to protect athletes from abuse. His efforts have helped to bring about important changes within the sport of swimming and have helped to ensure that survivors of sexual abuse within USA Swimming are able to seek justice and accountability.

Yet another swimmer has come forward alleging disgraced coach Andy King sexually abused her after he was first exposed as a pedophile.

The allegations are contained in a new lawsuit filed by the law firm of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard that says King used his position of authority “to manipulate and sexually assault over a dozen female swimmers over a 30-year period,” including “A.H.”

A.H. is the anonymous plaintiff in the new case that was filed in Alameda County Superior Court (case #HG21112559).

In addition to USA Swimming, affiliates Pacific Swimming and San Ramon Valley Aquatics are defendants in the lawsuit.

“They all looked the other way, placing their profits and reputations above the safety of young, vulnerable female athletes like A.H.,” attorney Robert Allard said.

Like other young girls coached by King, A.H. dreamed of becoming an Olympic swimmer when she joined San Ramon Valley Aquatics in the late 1970s.

By the early 1980s, when A.H. was around 12 years old, King began grooming her to accept his sexual advances.

“He’d make sexually inappropriate comments to her and have her sit on his lap during swim practice,” Mr. Allard said. “He gave her gifts and paid special attention to her, even telling her how mature she was and talking about the possibility of a future together.”

A.H. was 14 years old when King stole her innocence in March of 1985.

“We know that in the summer of 1984 people in the Bay Area swimming community were talking about King’s sexual abuse of swimmer Debra Grodensky. In fact, the talk was so widespread that Debra’s competitors even asked her about it but nobody did anything about it.”

Ms. Grodensky is a client of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard. She, too, is suing USA Swimming, along with swimmers Caren McKay and Katie Kelly, alleging King sexually abused them. Their case is set for trial in May of 2022.

King’s contract with San Ramon Valley Aquatics was not renewed in mid-1985 partly due to the Grodensky sexual misconduct. So, King formed Chabot Aquatics in Hayward and continued to sexually assault young girls.

King’s reign of terror finally stopped in 2009, when he was arrested for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old San Jose Aquatics swimmer. He is now serving 40 years in state prison after pleading no contest to the criminal charges brought by the San Jose girl and three East Bay swimmers.

“USA Swimming has fostered a sexual abuse culture,” Mr. Allard said. “In 1991, a USA Swimming committee acknowledged the sexual abuse problem and recommended that steps be taken to protect young athletes. But it wasn’t until 2006 that even basic measures like criminal background checks were implemented. As a result, my clients are still suffering decades later.”

In 2018, the Orange County Register reported that at least 590 athletes were USA Swimming sexual abuse victims and at least 252 swim coaches and officials had been disciplined or banned for sexual abuse or misconduct against athletes under the age of 18.

“As long as USA Swimming fails to take care of these sexually abused athletes, we will continue to fight for victims and file lawsuits to ensure that these athletes are compensated for the lifelong harm caused by the organization,” Mr. Allard said.

The lawsuit claims USA Swimming manipulated background check procedures as a method of covering up Hutchison’s actions and mishandled the investigation into the allegations against the swim coach.

Kukors Smith is a 2012 Olympian. Mr. Allard stated in a press conference that the goal of the lawsuit was to force USA Swimming to “accept responsibility for allowing, and in fact, enabling a known predator coach to molest for almost a decade sexually, my client Ariana Smith…”

Protecting Pedophile Coaches Prevalent

Attorney Robert Allard has been involved in litigation against USA Swimming for nearly a decade, claiming the “culture of protecting pedophile coaches” is so prevalent in USA Swimming that the only solution is to “…blow it all up and rebuild it from the ground up.”

The civil lawsuit also names former Olympic swim coach, Mark Schubert, for his failure to report reasonable suspicion of child endangerment or child abuse. Schubert coached Kukors Smith at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships and 2007 World Championships in Australia. It is during this time which Hutchison is alleged in the lawsuit to have been openly engaged in inappropriate behavior, such as kissing, cuddling and hugging, with Kukors Smith.

Ariana Kukor-Smith Claims Hutchison “Stole” from Her

In an interview, Kukor-Smith claimed that Hutchison stole her swimming career, her virginity, her college experience, her Olympic dream and even her friendships and that while organizations like USA Swimming could “deter, detect and discipline sexual abuse,” they have done nothing other than protecting their public image.

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/olympics/federal-ways-ariana-kukors-says-in-lawsuit-that-usa-swimming-covered-up-alleged-sexual-abuse-by-coach/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/ariana-kukors-smith-alleges-top-usa-swimming-officials-ignored-sex-abuse/2018/05/21/1d6f3246-5d36-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?utm_term=.b8fce4fe8034

Kelley Davies Currin came forward publicly earlier this year with a signed settlement agreement with Curl’s signature in which Curl agreed to pay her $150,000 in return for not going to law enforcement for allegedly molesting her starting when she was 13 years old in 1983.

Attorney Robert Allard who represents the victim has said from the onset that USA Swimming has known about Curl for years. Curl was referenced in the Jane Doe amended lawsuit filed in March of 2010. Despite USA Swimming having knowledge of Curl’s rumored past, Curl attended this years U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha on a coaching credential.

“I am happy to hear that Rick Curl may finally be starting to accept responsibility for what he did to me. I can now only hope that USA Swimming will accept responsibility for refusing to ban Rick Curl when they had knowledge to do so,” said Kelley Davies Currin.

“The fact that Mr. Curl has now been permanently banned from USA membership is only the first of what we hope are many steps, including imprisonment, which will be taken against him to ensure that justice is served for the heinous acts committed upon my client when she was just a child,” said attorney Robert Allard. “Mr. Curl was the proverbial Jerry Sandusky within this organization and, similar to Penn State immediately moving to rid itself of those who knew and did nothing, we are not going to stop until the same is done at USA Swimming, starting with Mr. Wielgus and the man who has admitted to knowing all about Mr. Curl going back to the early 1990’s and failed to take effective action to protect young swimmers – Vice President David Berkoff,” added Allard.

More on this story:

Swim coach banned for life in sex abuse case

Former U.S. national swim coach Schubert faces lawsuit
A swimming coach and philanthropist claims she was wrongfully fired by former U.S. national coach Mark Schubert after she became aware of abuse allegations within his Southern California club.

Lawsuit: Olympic swim coach ignored sexual abuse
Eight-time U.S. Olympic coach Mark Schubert, while U.S. national team director and later at Golden West Swim Club, repeatedly ignored and dismissed complaints of inappropriate behavior toward young female swimmers by a longtime Orange County swim coach, a former coach alleged in a wrongful termination lawsuit on Monday.

Ex-Olympics coach accused of ignoring inappropriate behavior
A former U.S. Olympic swimming coach ignored complaints of sexually inappropriate behavior according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.

Suit against former US national swim coach Schubert claims sex abuse cover-up

USA Swimming denies cover-up with former coach

All Fall Down – Dramatic New Court Case Likely To Cause Domino Effect At USA Swimming
The claim states that Schubert fired coach Dia Rianda because of her persistence in alerting Schubert of continued inappropriate behavior by William Jewell, Schubert’s friend and assistant at the Golden West Swim Club (GWSC).

Commentary: By Allowing Coaches To Date Their Swimmers, USA Swimming Has No Choice But To Change Leadership At The Top
What we’ve discovered is that for more than thirty years now is that USA Swimming’s own investigations are either nonexistent or woefully inadequate.

Attorney Robert Allard of Cerri, Boskovich & Allard, who represents the victim, says that USA Swimming has known about Curl for years. Curl was referenced in the Jane Doe amended lawsuit filed in March of 2010. Despite USA Swimming having knowledge of Curl’s rumored past, Curl attended last month’s U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha on a coaching credential.

Noah Rucker, a 39-year-old coach affiliated with the Curl-Burke Swim Club, was arrested last month on three counts of illegal sexual contact with a swimmer he had coached more than a decade earlier at Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia.

According to his website, the Curl-Burke Swim Club is one of the largest in the country, with 950 swimmers.

Mr. Allard has been honored as California Lawyer of the Year in 2012 for his work in exposing the USA Swimming cover-up and sexual molestation scandal. Mr. Allard encourages anyone with information on the USA Swimming molestation scandal to call 408-289-1417. You may also fill out the case evaluation form to your right.

California Assemblyman Jim Beall is announcing proposed legislation that would strengthen California’s child molestation laws.

The legislation was introduced with input from child molestation victims’ rights attorney Robert Allard and victims of USA Swimming coaching molestation.

If passed, Assembly Bill 1628 would outlaw confidential settlements involving charges of child sexual abuse, raise the statute of limitations for victims seeking civil justice from age 26 to age 35, and require private entities that use public property, such as a soccer field or swimming pool, to conduct enhanced background screenings on individuals having access to children. Assemblyman Beall said, “the law must be changed to protect children, not child molesters.”

“I have seen firsthand the horrific damage that is inflicted on victims of childhood sex abuse,” Allard said. “Most if not all of this abuse would have been prevented had these proposed laws been in place and followed at the time. I applaud Mr. Beall and his staff for taking the initiative on these measures. I have every confidence that the children residents of California will be safer if AB 1628 takes effect.”

The bill is scheduled to be heard April 17 in the Public Safety Committee.

In a related action, Beall has also introduced ACR 125, a resolution designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a result, seventy-three legislators joined as co-authors to Beall’s resolution, which was approved by the Assembly.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has distributed a new handbook, “Recognizing, Reducing and Responding to Misconduct in Sport: Creating Your Strategy”, to ensure safer training environments.

The USOC formed a task force last year which recommended that national governing bodies adopt standardized policies following a number of sexual abuse and molestation cases against USA Swimming filed by a legal team led by attorney Robert Allard.

For a confidential free consultation with an attorney, please give us a phone call at 408-289-1417. You may also fill out the case evaluation form to your right. We’re ready to help you. And you will never be obligated to pay a penny to our attorneys unless we collect.

Source: https://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/7699059/usoc-distributes-manual-preventing-sexual-physical-abuse