Judge denies Buffalo Skating Club’s bid to dismiss abuse lawsuit by former figure skater | Local News

Two a long time in the past, Craig Maurizi submitted the lawsuit in U.S. District Court docket in Buffalo, boasting that from 1976 to 1986, beginning at age 13, he endured sexual abuse by his former figure skating mentor, Richard Callaghan, who afterwards grew to become one of the sport’s most popular coaches.

Maurizi, a Williamsville native who no lengthier life in the spot, beforehand publicly uncovered his accusations. He has explained the Buffalo Skating Club, the Experienced Skaters Affiliation and the U.S. Determine Skating Affiliation understood about the documented abuse, but took no actions to cease it.

U.S. District Decide John L. Sinatra Jr. approved a magistrate judge’s advice to grant the motions by the Specialist Skaters Association and the U.S. Figure Skating Association to dismiss the lawsuit in opposition to them and deny the Buffalo Skating Club’s movement to do so.

U.S. Magistrate Leslie G. Foschio resolved Maurizi’s aiding and abetting statements, which includes the allegation that in the late 1970s, a group of determine skating judges, which include a Buffalo Skating Club board member, talked about rumors that Callaghan was participating in sexual activity with boy skaters. Also, in accordance to the lawsuit, a Zamboni driver at the ice rink complained to a member of club’s Board of Administrators that he witnessed Callaghan molesting a skater and that a further board member refused to allow his baby to practice with Callaghan since the board member knew Callaghan was sexually associated with male skaters.

“These allegations, if confirmed at demo, would adequately set up BSC realized of Callaghan’s alleged abuse, yet took no motion to cease the abuse,” Foschio said in his report.

Foschio pointed out that the criticism claimed several mother and father complained to the club’s board about Callaghan’s habits throughout a skating level of competition and that the board fired Callaghan, demonstrating the board had some recognition of the harm Callaghan caused. However, according to the complaint, the club waited for the end of opposition year to terminate Callaghan, enabling Callaghan’s abuse of young male skaters to go on.

“The complaint as a result adequately states the aiding and abetting claims towards BSC and BSC’s motion should be denied with regard to the aiding and abetting promises,” Foschio wrote.

The lawsuit accused Callaghan of applying “his place of believe in and authority to psychologically groom Craig for what turned into nearly a ten years of sexual abuse” in the 1970s and 1980s, and accused the sport’s leaders of conspiring “to circumvent their own internal methods to sweep Craig’s issues underneath the rug.”

A information left with a law firm representing the Buffalo Skating Club was not returned.

Callaghan, who was a coach at the Buffalo Skating Club from 1976 to 1981, said in an affidavit submitted with the court docket that “I have a meritorious protection to this action and deny the allegations asserted by Craig Maurizi.”

Last 12 months, U.S. Figure Skating, the governing human body of the activity, agreed to pay $1.45 million to settle a lawsuit from yet another figure skater who claimed he was sexually assaulted numerous moments as a teen in a Detroit ice rink by Callaghan, now 75.