Olympian Ariana Kukors Smith Sues USA Swimming, Alleges Sexual Abuse Cover-Up
Former Olympic swimmer Ariana Kukors Smith filed a civil lawsuit Monday in California against USA Swimming, the governing body of the sport, alleging that they covered up abuse she suffered at the hands of coach Sean Hutchison, the Associated Press reports.
Kukors Smith, who competed in the 2012 Olympics, first went public in February, alleging that Hutchison began abusing her when she was just 16 years old. According to CNN, she told Department of Homeland Security investigators that the abuse began in 2005 and that her former coach took thousands of sexually explicit photographs of her when she was a minor.
“I never thought I would share my story because I was able to leave a horrible monster and build a life I could have never imagined for myself,” she said in a statement at the time. “But in time, I’ve realized that stories like my own are too important to go unwritten.”
Hutchison has denied the allegations and said that the two later had a consensual relationship. In February, he released a statement through his attorney that stated, “I absolutely deny having any sexual or romantic relationship with her before she was old enough to legally make those decisions for herself. Prior to that time, I did nothing to ‘groom’ her.”
According to the AP, USA Swimming previously hired a private investigator to look into rumors of a relationship between the two in 2010, when Kukors Smith was 21. It closed the investigation without finding any misconduct.
In the new lawsuit, USA Swimming officials are accused of knowing about allegations of Hutchison having inappropriate relationships with underage swimmers, including Kukors Smith, who was 16 in 2005. It also alleges that they manipulated a background screening system to shield coaches accused of abuse. Also included in the lawsuit is former Olympic coach Mark Schubert in a mention that he failed to report “a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or endangerment.”
“Those at USA Swimming need to change the culture of protecting predator coaches over young and vulnerable athletes such as myself,” Kukors Smith said.