‘Cheer’ coach Monica Aldama responds to ‘wildly inaccurate’ intercourse assault lawsuit
Navarro School cheerleading coach Monica Aldama — who discovered fame on the Netflix series “Cheer” alongside along with her squad — is denying an accusation that she swept an alleged sexual assault beneath the rug.
“I’m heartbroken by the false allegations made in opposition to me. The statements made about me within the lawsuit are wildly inaccurate,” Aldama, 51, stated Friday in a press release to The Put up.
“Because the Navarro Cheer coach, the well being and security of the scholars I coach is my essential concern. I’ve labored 12 months after 12 months to ensure Navarro Cheer is a secure area for all cheerleaders,” she continued.
“We don’t condone or cover-up experiences of sexual harassment and assault. As an athletics coach and Navarro School worker, I take all Title IX issues very critically, particularly experiences of sexual misconduct,” she added.
Former Navarro cheerleader Madi Lane is suing Aldama; Navarro School; the Texas faculty’s director of athletics, Michael Landers; its Title IX coordinator, Elizabeth Pillans; and Lane’s alleged abuser, former teammate Salvatore “Salvo” Amico.
Within the 20-page federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, Lane alleges Amico received on her dorm mattress in September 2021, pulled off a few of her garments, and sexually assaulted her as she screamed at him to cease.
Amico couldn’t be reached instantly for remark Friday.
Lane claims she advised “a number of staff members” concerning the alleged incident, together with the staff’s “unofficial captain,” who allegedly responded: “You simply have to drink it off and get your thoughts off of it” as a result of “that’s what Navarro women do — they drink. We don’t inform anybody. We simply hold it to our self,” in line with the grievance.
Lane additionally claims that when she made a report back to Aldama, the coach allegedly interrupted her and stated: “Let’s not make this a giant deal. I need one of the best for you and I’ll assist you cheer wherever you need.”
And when Lane stop the cheer staff, Aldama allegedly advised her, “For those who hold quiet, I’ll be sure to can
cheer anyplace you need.”
In her Friday assertion to The Put up, Aldama known as herself a “guidelines follower.”
“I at all times observe all applicable procedures relating to reporting and responding to any allegations of misconduct within the Navarro Cheer program,” she continued.
She added: “I be sure to report, and encourage others to report, any allegations of harassment, discrimination, or assault to applicable authorities and officers. I’d by no means stay silent, or ask any scholar to stay silent, if I had been conscious that any sexual misconduct occurred within the Cheer program.”
The Put up reached out to Lane for remark.
Lane claims in her grievance that she was additionally discouraged from reporting the alleged assault to campus police and the Title IX workplace.
In a press release to The Put up on Thursday, Navarro School stated it “denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is ready to vigorously defend itself in court docket.”
The faculty continued: “The protection and welfare of scholars is at all times of utmost precedence. Navarro School prohibits sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in opposition to all college students and is deeply dedicated to offering an academic surroundings free from intercourse discrimination and sexual assault.
“The School has established strong insurance policies and procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to all allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Navarro School takes each report of sexual harassment and sexual assault critically and acts swiftly to offer an applicable response to guard all college students,” the assertion concludes.
The lawsuit is the newest scandal to plague “Cheer,” which premiered in 2020, with a second season dropping final 12 months.
Former Navarro cheerleader and “Cheer” favourite Jerry Harris is serving a 12-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to coercing teen boys to ship him obscene photographs and movies and soliciting intercourse from teen twin boys at cheerleading competitions.