Lawsuit Alleges US Soccer Federation and Others Negligent in Protecting 13-year-old Sexual Abuse Victim.

“The United States Soccer Federation has created a culture of covering up sexual abuse in its youth soccer clubs creating easy hunting grounds for adult sexual predators to gain access to minor children participating in their soccer clubs.”

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FL, 2021-Aug-09 — /EPR Network/ — A lawsuit was filed against the United States Soccer Federation, the United States Youth Soccer Association, The Florida Youth Soccer Association, The Port St Lucie Soccer Club and several soccer club members of the Board of Directors for the sexual abuse of a 13 year old girl by a former, adult soccer coach. The coach, Danny Xavier Navarrete Torres, was convicted of lewd or lascivious molestation of multiple minor children and is currently incarcerated for these felonies.

The Complaint alleges the United States Soccer Federation and its affiliates, including both on a national and state level, knew that numerous minor youth participants in their national soccer organizations had been sexually abused for the history of the organizations and failed to implement or enforce any policy or procedure for recognizing, reporting, preventing or protecting minor children who were playing in their soccer organization or to prevent further sexual abuse. The minor Plaintiff’s mother also alleges the soccer organization developed a culture of covering up sexual abuse and settling cases and requiring confidentiality agreements in order to hide the sexual abuse problems within their national and state organizations.

The Complaint also alleges the local soccer club adult board members and coaches became suspicious about Torres and ignored complaints about him. When the coach was arrested, the Complaint states members of the organization deleted their electronic communications about the sexual predator.

Gloria Seidule, of The Law Office of Gloria Seidule, explained, “This national soccer organization failed to establish and implement any reasonable policy to prevent, detect and report suspected child sexual abuse despite being on notice that children were being sexually abused within their organizations. It is time for any organization profiting from children participants to be transparent and proactive to prevent sexual predators from using their organizations for access to children. This includes sports organizations, schools, daycares, places of worship, camps and places utilizing unpaid minor workers and employment of children.

The Complaint can be accessed at https://bit.ly/2VvQ73n. It is filed in the 19th Judicial Circuit court,

CASE NO: 56-20201 CA 001386.
About Gloria Seidule:
Gloria Seidule is a Personal Injury Attorney who has been practicing in Florida for more than 30 years. Her areas of expertise include slip and fall, auto accidents, infections, children’s injuries and sexual abuse, MRSA and medication/pharmacy mistakes. For more information call The Law Office of Gloria Seidule at 772-287-1220 or visit Glorialaw.com

Contact Name: Gloria Seidule
Contact Address: 2400 SE Federal Hwy, Suite 300, Stuart, FL USA – 34994
Phone Number: 772-287-1220