Suit alleges ‘decades’ of sex abuse by ex-boerne gymnastics coach
The families of two girls who were allegedly sexually abused by a former Boerne gymnastics coach are suing the coach, as well as the Boerne gym where he worked and a national gymnastics organization — both of which failed in their duty protect the children, the suit alleges.
Filed in state district court, the lawsuit names as defendants longtime gymnastics coach Michael Spiller, Boerne Gymnastics Center and its owner Lorna Spellman, and USA Gymnastics, which describes itself as “the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf to two girls who say Spiller abused them in 2022, when one was 9 years old and the other was 10 years old. To protect their privacy, the Express-news is not publishing the names of the children or their guardians.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages of $1 million or more for physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses, loss of earning capacity and loss of household services, as well as legal costs.
The families are being represented by Michelle Simpson
Tuegel, a Dallas-based attorney who has represented clients in a number of high-profile sexual abuse cases.
Spiller — who spent decades as a gymnastics coach, working with dozens of gymnastics organizations — was sentenced in October to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to four counts of indecency with a child.
Spiller was accused of abusing multiple children at the Boerne Gymnastics Center. The two girls involved in the lawsuit allege Spiller molested and groped them during a gymnastics class he oversaw, and that he singled them out from the rest of their classmates.
“The lawsuit alleges Spiller had sexually abused children for decades, citing allegations made in 1983 and in the early 2000s.
The lawsuit alleges that Spellman, the owner of Boerne Gymnastics Center, was aware of the allegations against Spiller but did nothing to address them or to prevent those kinds of incidents from happening again.
“Boerne Gymnastics fostered a culture that permitted this behavior to persist for literal decades,” the lawsuit says. The gymnastics center “allowed this abuse to be perpetuated by not properly training, supervising,
and/or retaining Spiller, a known sexual predator, and by allowing him access and sole custody of little girls,” the lawsuit alleges.
Darrell Cockcroft, an attorney representing Spellman, said she had no comment on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body, of continuing to certify Spiller as a coach despite the multiple allegations against him, and of continuing to list
Boerne Gymnastics Center as a certified training center despite Spiller being allowed to work there.
The lawsuit claims USA Gymnastics “has been notorious for maintaining a recklessly lax system of vetting coaches, staff and administrators.”
“This culture allowed coaches like Spiller to move from gym to gym, despite knowledge of inappropriate behaviors with athletes dating back to the 1980s,” the lawsuit says.
By allowing Spiller to remain a registered USAG coach, and Boerne Gymnastics to remain a registered member gym, USAG represented to the gymnastics community that Spiller was a safe, trustworthy, ethical and professional competent coach. This led parents … to believe their children were safe while training with Spiller at Boerne Gymnastics, when in fact these children were in danger,” the lawsuit states.
In a written statement, Jill Geer, USA Gymnastics’ chief communications and marketing officer, said USA Gymnastics “has not been served with a copy of the complaint and cannot comment on pending litigation.”
Tuegel, of the Simpson-tuegel Law Firm, said the damages in the case are likely to exceed $1 million.
Tuegel also represents three adults who have accused Spiller of sexual misconduct.
Tuegel previously represented sexual abuse victims in litigation against Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor accused of sexually abusing hundreds of victims. Nassar pleaded guilty to a number of sexual assault and child pornography charges and is currently in federal prison.