Lawsuit Accuses 'Cheer' Coach Monica Aldama of Covering Up Cheerleader's Sexual Assault

The plaintiff, a cheerleader on the team, alleges that Aldama, other teammates and Navarro College staff discouraged her from reporting her sexual assault

A cheerleader at Navarro College alleges in a new lawsuit that Cheer coach Monica Aldama, along with other members of the cheerleading squad and staff members at the school, discouraged her from reporting her sexual assault, according to the Dallas Morning News.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Dallas, the plaintiff, a female cheerleader, claims she was sexually assaulted by another member of the squad during her first semester at Navarro. When she went to report the assault, the lawsuit alleges, Aldama, other cheerleaders, campus police and the school's Title IX coordinator urged her not to.

The plaintiff also alleges that Aldama would help her cheerleading career if she did not report the assault.

Aldama, Navarro College's Director of Athletics Michael Landers, Navarro College's Title IX Coordinator Elizabeth Pillans and the college are all named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with the man accused of assaulting the cheerleader.

Related:The Cast of 'Cheer': Where Are They Now?

Aldama and the school staff are accused of creating "a campus condition rife with sexual assault and lacking the basic standards of support for victims as required by state and federal law."

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Aldama claimed the allegations in the lawsuit are "wildly inaccurate."

"I am heartbroken by the false allegations made against me," she said. "... I would never remain silent, or ask any student to remain silent, if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program."

Navarro also shared a statement with PEOPLE, which said that the college "denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court."

The plaintiff says in the lawsuit that she joined the team at Navarro in fall 2021, according to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, and was "shocked" by the partying culture. The other cheerleaders "drank alcohol excessively and abused drugs," she claimed.

The plaintiff alleges that in Sept. 2021, her roommate brought male cheerleaders back to their room around 4 a.m., when she was asleep. One of the men climbed into her bed and started to assault her, she alleges. She called for help and was eventually able to push him away, she claimed.

When the plaintiff told others on the team about the alleged incident the next day, she claims, an older cheerleader said: "You just need to drink it off and get your mind off of it" because "that's what Navarro girls do— they drink. We don't tell anyone. We just keep it to our self."

The plaintiff was also allegedly urged not to tell Aldama about the alleged assault, and was followed around by two male cheerleaders to ensure that she did not report it to anyone. When she told her longtime boyfriend, the suit alleges, he came to the Navarro campus with friends and got in an argument with male cheerleaders, before campus police barred them from the grounds.

The male cheerleaders then allegedly followed the plaintiff and her boyfriend as they left in a car and pointed guns at them, and "threatened to kill them for reporting the assault."

RELATED VIDEO: Cheer Star Jerry Harris Arrested on Federal Child Pornography Charge

The plaintiff said she then reported the assault to Aldama, who allegedly told her not to tell others, saying, "If you keep quiet, I'll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want," according to the lawsuit. She also says that Navarro's Title IX Coordinator Elizabeth Pillans said neither the school nor the local police had access to a rape kit.

This is one of several sexual assault lawsuits to go against Navarro's cheerleading squad. In Sept. 2020, breakout Cheer star Jerry Harris was accused by underage twin brothers of allegedly sexually abusing them and demanding nude photographs from them. Harris was later arrested on a federal charge for allegedly producing, requesting and using child pornography. In July 2022, Harris was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the charges.

And in Feb. 2021, two other male cheerleaders who had been on the Navarro team were arrested on sex offense charges. One, Robert Joseph Scianna Jr., was arrested in Virginia and charged with taking indecent liberties with a child and use of an electronic communication device to solicit sex, later pleading guilty. The other, Mitchell Ryan, was arrested in Texas on a charge of felony aggravated sexual assault of a child, but a grand jury declined to indite him.

Cheer debuted on Netflix in Jan. 2020 and followed Navarro's cheerleading squad as they competed for a national championship. Its public acclaim led to a second season, which premiered in Jan. 2022 and expanded to include Navarro and its closest rival, Trinity Valley Community College, in their journey to nationals. A third season has not yet been announced.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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