Female Athletes Sue USA Diving

Serious injuries deserve experienced attorneys

 Justice for Abused Athletes

Justice for Abused Athletes

Two former female divers have file a lawsuit against USA Diving for allegedly failing to protect them against sexual abuse from their coach.

According to the lawsuit, former diving coach William Bohonyi forced two female athletes to have sex with him and send nude photos of themselves to him. At least one of the athletes was under age at the time of the abuse.

In 2009, a female diver started training with Bohonyi while she attended Indiana University. He allegedly demanded oral sex from her and forced her into participating in at least one sexual act each day while he was her coach. She transferred to a different college during her last two years of school.

Another female athlete, who was just 16 at the time, claimed Bohonyi started to sexually abuse her in 2014. She said she was coerced into “believing she was required to perform sexual services in exchange for her continued involvement in diving.”

“He preyed on her age, vulnerability, and dreams of becoming an Olympian and used the power structure and imbalance of power (coach/athlete) to make her believe she was required to sexually service him in exchange for her involvement in diving for Team USA,” the lawsuit claims.

After one of her teammates reported the abuse, the university put Bohonyi on an administrative leave and opened up an investigation. The university terminated Bohonyi a couple of weeks later. However, the lawsuit claims that the university had possession of nude photos of the underage diver and no legal action was taken.

The lawsuit claims that USA Diving didn’t report Bohonyi to police as required by law for being a serial rapist.

“USA Diving knew or was willfully blind to the fact that … Bohonyi presented a clear and present danger to young female athletes,” it says.

Cait Cohn, USA Diving’s social media and communications coordinator responded to the lawsuit by saying, “Providing a safe environment for our members is of tremendous importance to USA Diving, and we take these matters very seriously. USA Diving is unable to comment further at this time.”

 

For more information about issues like these and other legal news, visit Cohen & Cohen

Personal Injury Attorneys In:

Washington DC | Maryland | Virginia

workers compensation attorneys in dc
Seen On:

Injury Attorneys DC, MD, VA – Get the Compensation You Deserve! Whether you have been injured in a car accident, a malpractice victim, injured on the job, as the result of shoddy craftsmanship, or in a slip and fall, we can help! Our experienced, competent attorneys excel in all areas of personal injury law.

PRACTICE AREAS

Catastrophic Injuries DC, MD, VA

Automobile Accidents DC, MD, VA

Workers’ Compensation DC, MD, VA

Slip and Fall DC, MD, VA

Medical Malpractice DC, MD, VA

Wrongful Death DC, MD, VA

Truck Accidents DC, MD, VA

Motorcycle Accidents DC, MD, VA

Metro Train Accident DC, MD, VA

FREE CASE EVALUATION

Our team is available and ready to help you with your case. Feel free to contact us via the form below or call us 24/7 at 202-955-4529

Client Review

"My experience with Cohen & Cohen was beyond my expectations. Jill did an amazing job with negotiating on my behalf and got me way more money than I anticipated. Thank you for having my back."
L Proctor
Client Review

"I am very pleased with the outcome of my case. I received more than the amount that I originally thought and am very satisfied with how my case turned out. Jill, the attorney working on my case did an excellent job advocating for me to the insurance company and getting me a good settlement. A special shout out to Bryan Moran, who always kept me posted on the updates of my case and was always super responsive to my questions. They are a really thoughtful team, I would definitely recommend to my friends and family."
Carolina Bazan
Client Review

Cohen & Cohen has an  impeccable Client Satisfaction Rating with hundreds of
5 STAR Reviews. We are among the best-rated firms in the areas we serve.

Cohen & Cohen has an  impeccable Client Satisfaction Rating with hundreds of
5 STAR Reviews. We are among the best-rated firms in the areas we serve.

Best Personal Injury Lawyer in DC

SuperLawyers2012
SuperLawyers2014
SuperLawyers2010
SuperLawyers2011

Cohen & Cohen Has Been Featured On

FREE CASE EVALUATION

Our team is available and ready to help you with your case. Feel free to contact us via the form below or call us 24/7 at 202-955-4529

4 + 15 =

Read more: