Gig Harbor teen gymnast sues ex-coach, gym over sexual misconduct allegations
Oct 30, 2023, 12:27 PM
Gymnastics. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
A Gig Harbor teen gymnast says she “wants her story heard” and is suing her coach and gym, according to The Tacoma News Tribune.
Alyssa (identified by her first name only) is accusing 31-year-old Andrew Smith of sexual misconduct and the gym for failing to protect her.
Smith was placed on a coaching suspension list by SafeSport & USA Gymnastics on Sept. 6, and his suspension will last for two years.
The North American Sports Academy (NASA), where Smith worked, was also named in the suit filed Oct. 25 in Pierce County Superior Court. Andrew Smith declined to comment about the lawsuit.
“I kept quiet for so long because my fear of losing gymnastics outweighed every discomfort I had. I did it for my teammates and to protect the future of other athletes. Even if my story only protects one person, to me, that is a story worth telling,” Alyssa said in a statement to The Gateway, a newspaper that covers Gig Harbor.
Alyssa accused Smith of touching her inappropriately. She was 15 at the time.
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“I think the family feels that because the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office has refused to pursue criminal charges, filing a civil suit is their only option to get accountability for what happened to (Alyssa),” Attorney Loren Cochran of law firm Cochran Douglas said. That firm is representing is representing Alyssa. “For (Alyssa’s) family, the path to accountability is to hold NASA Gymnastics and Andrew Smith civilly liable.”
The lawsuit said that Smith would spread Alyssa’s legs and wrap them around him before he’d kiss her on the forehead while no other gymnasts were around.
The lawsuit said Alyssa “suffered and continues to suffer general and special damages including, but not limited to, emotional distress, physical and mental pain and suffering, medical expenses, a decrease in her ability to enjoy life, and other general and special damages, all in an amount to be determined at trial.”
Smith said he was let go from NASA gymnastics in 2021 and he went on to briefly work for Ascend Gymnastics in DuPont. He said those are the only two gyms where he has worked and he has no current plans to coach after his suspension is over, according to the News Tribune.
