Gymnastics Coach Accused of Abusing Gymnasts at a Las Vegas Gym. Who Is Liable?

Eight women who were trained by a former Brown’s Gym coach currently charged with lewdness and sexual abuse have filed a lawsuit against the Las Vegas Gym where he coached between 2007 and 2015. A civil negligence and liability case brought to the Nevada state court on January 19, 2021, faults the Las Vegas Gym and Dayna Waroe, the owner, for paying no attention to a pattern of assault of young girls aged as young as 13 years by gymnastics coach Terry Gray.

Terry Gray’s Arrest Report

The arrest report states that coach Terry Gray abused several trainees attending a Las Vegas gym. The 70-page report accuses the former coach of abusing gymnasts he trained between 2007 and 2015 at the Brown’s Las Vegas gym, a USA Gymnastics-certified gym. It details accusations of fat-shaming of gymnasts, unprofessional massages and stretches, and sexually grooming victims.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers started investigations in May 2019 after USA Gymnastics notified them of the allegations. According to the officers, the investigation took over a year because of several victim and witness interviews.

Who is Liable for Abuse at the Gym?

A gym owner has a legal obligation to implement well-thought-out policies and procedures to prevent abuse of staff, gymnasts, and guests. He or she would, therefore, be held liable if a gymnast is abused at the facility. For this reason, the January 19th civil negligence and liability court case lists Brown’s Gymnastics, Dayna Waroe, and USA Gymnastics as the liable parties for the abuse that Coach Gray inflicted on the eight women.

Dayna Waroe was in charge of the overall running of Brown’s Gymnastics when Terry Gray was serving as the gymnastics coach at the facility. She was also the major shareholder and owner of that gym.

The lawsuit states that the defendants breached their duty of care by failing to alert a child protective agency of confirmed or suspected cases of sexual abuse or molestation of minors as stipulated in the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. It further claims that the defendants were aware or had a reason to be aware that Coach Gray had inflicted physical, emotional, or psychological abuse on the plaintiffs and that he had molested, sexually groomed, or injured the complainants when they were minors. The lawsuit, therefore, seeks monetary compensation for both economic and non-economic damages suffered by plaintiffs from the gym and Dayna Waroe.

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Joseph J. Wirth

Joseph J. Wirth is the founding senior partner of Mainor Wirth Injury Lawyers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Representing injured victims throughout the state, Joe has recovered millions on behalf of his clients and has earned his reputation as a highly-respected member of the legal community.

Years of Experience: More than 15 years
Nevada Registration Status Active

Bar Admissions: State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Advertising Advisory Committee, Member 2008-Present Nevada Justice Association, Associate Member 2007-Present Nevada State Bar, Associate Member 2006-Present American Association for Justice, Associate Member 2006-Present

author-bio-image author-bio-image
Joseph J. Wirth

Joseph J. Wirth is the founding senior partner of Mainor Wirth Injury Lawyers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Representing injured victims throughout the state, Joe has recovered millions on behalf of his clients and has earned his reputation as a highly-respected member of the legal community.

Years of Experience: More than 15 years
Nevada Registration Status Active

Bar Admissions: State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Advertising Advisory Committee, Member 2008-Present Nevada Justice Association, Associate Member 2007-Present Nevada State Bar, Associate Member 2006-Present American Association for Justice, Associate Member 2006-Present