Twin cheerleader sisters have filed a lawsuit against their former coach accusing him of sexually abusing them for years from when they were as young as 15 years old.
Jessica Gerlacher, 22, and Hannah Gerlacher, 22, filed the lawsuit on Monday, July 19, accusing their ex-coach Jason McCartney of allegedly sexually abusing them for several years from when they were just teens. The siblings claim in the lawsuit that McCartney frequently touched their breasts, crotches, and buttocks, and even pushed his erection into them on the pretense of “spotting,” a technique where coaches stand near athletes to ensure their safety, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
In one instance, McCartney reportedly ordered Hannah to sit on his lap and then fondled and touched her genitals. McCartney also allegedly forced Hannah into a room another day and pressed her against the cabinets with one hand on her neck, the lawsuit alleged.
Apart from McCartney, the lawsuit also names Plano-based Cheer Athletics, where they previously trained, and the U.S. All-Star Cheer Federation as defendants. All three parties named in the lawsuit reportedly denied the allegations against them.
Cheer Athletics previously supported Netflix’s "Cheer" star Jerry Harris after he was accused of soliciting child pornography images and videos, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The twins reportedly started taking private lessons with McCartney because he convinced the 15-year-old twins and their family that he would take them to the highest team level in cheerleading.
“McCartney did, in fact, get the twins to the Level 5 team, but he used his access to groom and abuse the minor athletes,” the lawsuit noted.
McCartney, also known as Jay, is listed on the Cheer Athletics’ Austin location website as one of that franchise’s two owners.
The twin sisters decided to speak about their experience in the hopes of better protecting other young people in the future from similar abuse.
Cheer Athletics released a statement against the allegations on Monday night, July 19, on Instagram.
“Mr. McCartney adamantly denies any wrongdoing of a sexual nature or otherwise in his dealings with the Gerlachers,” they wrote.
Cheer Athletics claims that they hadn't yet heard the allegations lobbed by the Gerlachers and that they had not yet received a copy of the lawsuit. They also said in their statement that McCartney’s interactions with the twins were limited to team practices and optional tumbling lessons and that they were in plain sight of hundreds of people during these sessions, making it impossible for an assault to take place unnoticed.
Even though the lawsuit mentions over $10 million in damages, Hannah said that their priority is change and accountability.
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