Two former students at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines claim alleged sexual abuse at the academy could have been avoided.
WEST DES MOINES,Iowa – Two former gymnasts who say they were sexually abused by a coach at a West Des Moines gymnastics academy are now suing not only the gym,but also USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport,alleging those organizations failed to protect them. John Manly is the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case, and he told Local 5 he’s been working on similar cases for the better part of a decade.
“if you’re a little girl and somebody violates you as an adult man in the most vile way possible, it has a profound effect on your life,” he said. “And when an adult who’s in charge of you, whose parents are paying for your camp and your gymnastic experience, neglects to protect that child, there has to be accountability.”
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Local 5 typically does not name victims in cases like this unless they come forward publicly. Finley Weldon and Hailey Gear claim they were placed in a challenging situation as the abuse unfolded.
“Plaintiff was in a military-like habitat…that discouraged minor gymnasts and their parents from questioning their authority or reporting improper or abusive conduct,” their lawsuits read in part.
The lawsuits allege the abuse could have been prevented if SafeSport acted on reports of misconduct against coach Sean Gardner at a Mississippi gym in 2017, before he was hired at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in 2018. But the U.S. Center for SafeSport refutes that timeline, and they told Local 5 in a statement they did not receive a complaint until five years ago.
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