- Feb 24, 2011
- 989
- 350
https://www.fitsnews.com/2023/06/27/cheer-incorporated-jeff-webb-loses-bid-for-dismissal/
Four days after Tennessee-based Varsity – the behemoth of the American cheerleading industry – lost its bid to be dismissed from several federal lawsuits, the founder of the company received similar news.
Attorneys for Memphis-based businessman Jeff Webb received a ruling from senior U.S. district judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr. on Monday, June 26, 2023. While Herlong dismissed several claims against Webb – including a RICO allegation – he found there was a plausible claim against the billionaire for gross negligence as it related to his alleged enabling of the culture of sex abuse within the American cheerleading industry.
The Cheer Incorporated lawsuits – most of which were filed by the Columbia-based Strom Law firm – accused a host of defendants of participating in a “scheme to anoint specific coaches and disregard safety protocols.” This alleged conduct was part of an “elaborate plan to create a pipeline of young athletes, each of whom represented a significant stream of revenue … worth billions of dollars.”
Key components of that pipeline? Drugs, alcohol and sex between adults and underage athletes …
Varsity – which sells cheerleading apparel and organizes dance camps and competitions across the country – was one of the named defendants in the lawsuits. So was Webb. Also named in the lawsuits were two companies which purchased ownership interests in Varsity within the last decade – Charlesbank Capital Partners and Bain Capital, a Boston-based investment firm co-founded by U.S. senator Mitt Romney.
Four days after Tennessee-based Varsity – the behemoth of the American cheerleading industry – lost its bid to be dismissed from several federal lawsuits, the founder of the company received similar news.
Attorneys for Memphis-based businessman Jeff Webb received a ruling from senior U.S. district judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr. on Monday, June 26, 2023. While Herlong dismissed several claims against Webb – including a RICO allegation – he found there was a plausible claim against the billionaire for gross negligence as it related to his alleged enabling of the culture of sex abuse within the American cheerleading industry.
The Cheer Incorporated lawsuits – most of which were filed by the Columbia-based Strom Law firm – accused a host of defendants of participating in a “scheme to anoint specific coaches and disregard safety protocols.” This alleged conduct was part of an “elaborate plan to create a pipeline of young athletes, each of whom represented a significant stream of revenue … worth billions of dollars.”
Key components of that pipeline? Drugs, alcohol and sex between adults and underage athletes …
Varsity – which sells cheerleading apparel and organizes dance camps and competitions across the country – was one of the named defendants in the lawsuits. So was Webb. Also named in the lawsuits were two companies which purchased ownership interests in Varsity within the last decade – Charlesbank Capital Partners and Bain Capital, a Boston-based investment firm co-founded by U.S. senator Mitt Romney.
