A dozen female water polo players who accused their coach of sexual abuse will split nearly $14M after settling a lawsuit against USA Water Polo and a California club.
The $13.85 million settlement with USA Water Polo and International Water Polo Club was filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court. It is being paid by the insurer for both organizations.
Attorney Morgan Stewart, who represents 11 of the plaintiffs, said that ruling helped hold USA Water Polo accountable in the case. The USA Taekwondo case set a standard that national governing bodies can't just collect fees and avoid responsibility. Charges filed by the Orange County district attorney include lewd acts on a child, sexual penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery by fraud, which alleges the victims were not aware they were being molested because the coach said the “touching served a professional purpose.”
The Orange County Register reported that girls on opposing teams had emerged from the pool accusing Hojreh’s swimmers of trying to grab and penetrate their genitals underwater. At one match, another coach accused Hojreh of teaching that tactic to his players and a fight nearly erupted on the pool deck with angry parents yelling and threatening each other.
Stewart, however, said leaders at USA Water Polo failed to inform law enforcement at the time — as they had a duty to under California law and the SafeSport code. He said he filed a complaint against Ramsey and Senior Director Christy Sicard for failing to report those complaints about the coach to authorities.
Hojreh has been permanently banned from water polo by SafeSport. He's one of 10 people affiliated with USA Water Polo banned from the sport since 2018 due to criminal matters.
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