The lawsuit accuses the former Navarro College cheer athlete of fabricating a “smear campaign” against Aldama in connection with sexual assault allegations.
CORSICANA, Texas — Monica Aldama, the head coach of Navarro Cheer, a program featured in Netflix’s popular documentary series “Cheer,” has been sued by USA Cheer and former coach for “taking advantage of the terror of an unsubstantiated public smear campaign.” They are suing the cheerleaders. ” according to the newly filed lawsuit.
In 2023, a former Navarro cheerleader sued the university, cheer team coach Monica Aldama, and another former Navarro cheerleader for an alleged sexual assault that occurred in September 2021.
WFAA is not releasing the names of the victims or suspects named in the 2023 lawsuit because no criminal charges have been filed.
The latest filing alleges that former cheerleaders’ lawsuit against Aldama led to her suspension from USA Cheer, the cancellation of her national cheer tour, and the failure of her jewelry business without any investigation. Aldama is seeking $5 million in damages.
“Defendants intentionally destroyed Monica’s professional life, labeled her a pariah in the court of public opinion, and cost her, her family, students, schools, markets, and the entire Navarro County community millions of dollars. caused damage,” the complaint states. WFAA states.
The civil suit was filed Tuesday in Navarro County’s 15th District Court. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that the defendants violated Texas antitrust laws and engaged in a civil conspiracy to deprive Aldama of her constitutional rights and protections.
Allegations against former cheerleader
The lawsuit was filed in April 2023 by a former Navarro cheerleader who alleges Aldama “participated in a campaign to silence victims and protect abusers,” leading to the plaintiff’s sexual assault and subsequent harassment and intimidation. This will be a response to the lawsuit.
The 2023 lawsuit alleges that the former cheerleader named in Aldama’s lawsuit was sexually assaulted by another “new” male Navarro cheerleader after a party on Sept. 2, 2021. . The victim told several team members about the assault the next day, according to the lawsuit. .
Those team members encouraged her to disclose the assault to a veteran cheerleader who, according to the lawsuit, was the team’s unofficial captain. The lawsuit also alleges that the veteran cheerleader told the victim not to report the assault to Aldama because it would cause stress and the school would discontinue the cheer program.
Aldama said she didn’t learn about the sexual assault allegations until the former cheerleader filed a complaint in 2023. Ms. Aldama also accused the former cheerleader of concealing details of her assault from her, her law enforcement agencies, and university officials.
“The allegations in the complaint were malicious, intentionally false, and factually and legally inaccurate,” Aldama’s complaint states. “Rather than accept personal responsibility for her unfortunate decisions,[the former cheerleader]sadly concocted a story in which she attempted to shift the guilt onto others.”
WFAA contacted the former cheerleader’s attorney, who declined to comment.
USA Cheer is the United States’ governing body for cheer. The organization suspended Aldama on May 1, 2023, days after the former Navarro cheerleader filed a complaint against him. In an email included in the lawsuit, USA Cheer informed Aldama that a third-party investigator from Players Health/Sports Defense would look into the allegations.
The complaint states that in November 2023, USA Cheer acknowledged that the investigation had concluded and that his suspension was upheld. She later resigned from her coaching position at Navarro College.
Aldama claims that USA Cheer was trying to “eliminate a competitive threat” by suspending her, and that because USA Cheer has exclusive influence over the sport, “(Aldama et al. members of USA Cheer and other participants in the activities in question).” She has no choice but to submit to USA Cheer’s oppression,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants interfered with several favorable contracts through one or a combination of 19 acts against Aldama, including defamation and misrepresentation. She is seeking 17 counts of damages.
WFAA reached out to USA Cheer for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.
