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A lawsuit filed Thursday against a South Carolina cheerleading gym names 100 “Jane Doe and John Doe” defendants accusing the gym and its parent company of facilitating sexual abuse against minors across state lines for years, according to local reports.
Scott Foster, the co-owner of Rockstar Cheer in Greenville, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on Aug. 22, according to the lawsuit.
“This was a factory of abuse designed specifically to generate two things: a constant supply of underage victims for Scott Foster and his fellow predators and a billion dollar revenue stream to Varsity Spirit, USASF and Bain Capital,” Strom Law Firm attorney Bakari Sellers said in a Thursday statement. “Instead of protecting these young men and women, they victimized them and cashed their checks.”
Foster and his wife of 21 years, Kathy Foster — the co-owner of Rockstar Cheer — had recently learned of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation into their company amid allegations that Scott Foster was “sexually abusing underage athletes, as well as taking underage athletes across state lines for the purposes of engaging in sex,” the lawsuit filed in a South Carolina district court first obtained by FOX Carolina states.
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The lawsuit also accuses Varsity Spirit, LLC; Bain Capital, LP; and the U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) of creating “a competitive environment soliciting young athletes to cross state lines with minimal parental or adult supervision, to converge at pre-scheduled locations where the athletes would then be exposed to drugs, alcohol, and predatory conduct by adults including coaches and choreographers, all while publicly representing that Defendants were providing a culture of safety at these same events.”
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The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants were aware of allegations made against the Fosters.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Varsity Spirit President Bill Seely said the allegations are “devastating to hear,” and the company’s “hearts are broken right alongside yours.”
Scott Foster allegedly rented out “an apartment for his athletes where some of them would live, and where minor athletes would gather to do drugs and drink alcohol with and without Defendant Foster.” The gym owner also apparently “engaged in illicit sexual acts with underage athletes who were not old enough to provide consent,” the lawsuit states.
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“All Defendants were co-conspirators in a scheme to get as many families as possible to entrust their child athletes to these private gyms and coaches so that those coaches would bring the athletes to the moneymaking competitions throughout the United States during the year,” the complaint states, adding that defendants knew they were failing to vet coaches; investigate and report complaints; and enforce rules and ineligibility.
On a webpage for Rockstar Cheer’s Greenville location, a biography apparently authored by Scott Foster states that the Kentucky native “graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice” and was “fully prepared to join the FBI” after completing his Master’s degree, but” life threw it’s [sic] curve ball and competitive cheerleading was introduced as a possible career.”
More than 100 cheerleaders are accusing Rockstar Cheer and Varsity Spirit of facilitating abuse against minors.
(John Cordes/Icon Sportswire )
“I knew I could excel as an FBI agent; but I wanted a career doing something I would love each and every day,” his biography states. “…What really drove me was working with young people and making a positive impact on their lives.”
The lawsuit currently details the experiences of several survivors, but additional lawsuits from other victims will be filed in other jurisdictions across the country, according to Strom Law Firm.
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“Scott Foster and his allies did their best to intimidate and isolate their targets, making these young people feel alone and somehow responsible,” attorney Jessica Fickling said in a statement. “Well, they’re not alone anymore. We’re standing with them and we stand with all of the survivors coming forward.”
Rockstar Cheer, Varsity Spirit and USASF did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
