On January 19, 2021, The Law Firm of Eglet Adams filed a complaint against Brown’s Gymnastics and related entities on behalf of Morgan Bowles, Mikaela Dayton, Elizabeth Gangale, Tiffani Lewis, McKinley Pavicic, Matalasiaufaiga Peko, Teagan Plutte and Alyssa Resley.
The complaint was filed due to the disturbing pattern of grotesque child molestation and sexual, physical, psychological, and emotional abuse that USA Gymnastics (USAG) registered coach Terry Gray inflicted on the Plaintiffs while he was employed at Brown’s Gymnastics from 2009 to 2015. Gray was criminally charged by way of an indictment with 15 counts of open and gross lewdness, 25 counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 14 and five counts of sexual assault.
The Plaintiffs allege that Brown’s Gym (A USAG National Training Center) and USAG failed to exercise reasonable care to protect the young gymnasts in their custody and care from abuse by its personnel, that Brown’s Gym and USAG maintained a culture of abuse that intimidated impressionable young gymnasts who practiced in the USAG National Training Centers while keeping them silent about the misconduct occurring at their training centers and was notorious for maintaining a recklessly lax system of vetting coaches, staff and administrators, contrary to USAG’s own Code of Ethical Conduct, proving that the Code was a sham and meant nothing in practice.
Furthermore, the complaint alleges that Brown’s Gym hired Gray and gave him unfettered access to young gymnasts despite abuse allegations against him. Dayna Waroe, who was the owner and a shareholder of Brown’s Gymnastics during Terry Gray’s employment and was responsible for the overall management of Brown’s Gymnastics, refused to fire Gray and went to great lengths to conceal his behavior, even going as far as destroying numerous documented complaints about Gray after his departure from the organization.
The complaint brings forth 10 causes of action against Brown’s Gym, Waroe and USAG, these include:
- Negligence
- Negligence per se
- Negligent failure to warn, train or educate
- Negligent hiring/retention/supervision
- Vicarious liability/respondeat superior
- Negligent infliction of emotional distress
- Breach of fiduciary duty
- Breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
- Breach of contract
- Alter ego liability (against Dayna Waroe)
The suit seeks general, compensatory, special, and punitive damages as well as medical expenses and damages for past and future pain, suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life.
