Jessica and Hannah Gerlacher allege that their former coach used to touch them in inappropriate ways, and that they were scared to report the abuse.
Twin cheerleaders are making disturbing claims against their former coach in a lawsuit, saying that he sexually abused them when they were minors starting at the age of 15.
The lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of 22-year-old Jessica and Hannah Gerlacher, who are accusing their ex-coach Jason McCartney, who worked with national-level athletes at the Frisco and Plano gyms, of “repeatedly engaging in inappropriate sexual contact” and “taking their innocence away."
The lawsuit is against McCartney and Plano-based Cheer Athletics, which is the gym featured in the Netflix docuseries “Cheer." The twins claim that some of the coaching techniques used by McCartney, were “not necessary, but rather for his own sick pleasure.”
The lawsuit claims McCartney’s “spotting” was used as an excuse to touch twins’ breasts, crotches and buttocks. The lawsuit also claims that McCartney had Hannah sit in his lap and touched her genitals.
The twins said they were “uncertain and fearful” about reporting the behavior because McCartney was an authority figure, according to the lawsuit.
In a now-deleted Instagram statement, Cheer Athletics said McCartney “adamantly denies any wrongdoing” in his dealings with the Gerlachers. The statement also said that the twins never made the organization aware of their allegations against the coach.
The statement also said that Cheer Athletics “remains steadfast in its commitment to athlete safety, including any improper contact between athletes and coaches and has an established track record of taking swift action to address such allegations, including making mandatory reports to law enforcement.”
Inside Edition has made repeated attempts to get comment from both the former coach and Cheer Athletics but they have not responded to our requests.
