CORSICANA, Texas — A former cheerleader from Navarro College – the college prominently known from the Netflix docu-series "Cheer" – is now suing the college, it cheer team coach Monica Aldama and another former Navarro cheerleader regarding an alleged sexual assault that occurred in September 2021.
WFAA is not naming the victim or suspect in the lawsuit because criminal charges have not been filed.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday and obtained by WFAA, a "rookie" female Navarro cheerleader said she was sexually assaulted by another "rookie" male Navarro cheerleader after a party on Sept. 2, 2021. The lawsuit says the victim told several team members about the assault the next day, to which they encouraged her to come to a party so a "veteran" could ask her about the assault.
The lawsuit says this veteran cheerleader, who the lawsuit says was the team's unofficial captain, told the victim "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 lawsuit goes on to allege that the veteran cheerleader told the victim not to report the assault to Aldama because it would stress her out and the school would cut the cheer program. The same veteran cheerleader later told the victim she "needed to talk it out like adults" with her alleged attacker.
Two days later, on Sept. 4, 2021, the veteran cheerleader assigned two male cheerleaders to accompany the victim while meeting with her alleged attacker, at which point the lawsuit says he apologized. The same two male cheerleaders were then "assigned to escort [the plaintiff] everywhere to ensure she did not report the assault," the lawsuit says, but she was able to call her boyfriend when she wasn't being watched to tell him about it.
The lawsuit says the victim, her boyfriend and three of his friends then went to the alleged attacker's room only to find another cheer member guarding the door. The victim's boyfriend and the cheer member guarding the door then "exchanged words," the lawsuit says, and they left to gather the victim's things from her apartment. The lawsuit says that the person guarding the door then called the police to report that the victim's boyfriend had assaulted him, and while they were packing the victim's dorm, campus police arrived to tell the boyfriend he was banned from campus property and needed to leave.
The boyfriend told the campus police that the only assault that occurred was the one that happened to his girlfriend, the lawsuit says.
The victim, her boyfriend and his friends all left in his car after grabbing what they had packed, the lawsuit says, and then noticed a vehicle following them that was occupied by several veteran cheerleaders, who allegedly pointed a gun at them and threatened to kill them for reporting the assault.
According to the lawsuit, the victim then called Aldama to tell her about the assault, and Aldama allegedly interrupted her by saying, "Let's not make this a big deal. I want the best for you and I will help you cheer wherever you want."
The victim then hung up the phone and called her mother to report the assault to her, according to the lawsuit. A few days later, after the victim had quit the cheer team, Aldama allegedly told her "If you keep quiet, I'll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want," according to the lawsuit.
The victim then tried reporting the alleged assault to campus police and the college's Title IX office, the lawsuit says. Campus police reportedly told the victim "this type of thing happens all the time, that she can report the assault, but that nothing will happen because nothing ever happens." She still reported the assault to campus police, the lawsuit says.
Navarro College's Title IX office informed the victim that it did not have the proper documentation to report a sexual assault and instead gave her a piece of paper to write down the answers to questions, the lawsuit claims. The Title IX office also told the victim that neither it nor the campus police department nor the Corsicana Police Department keep rape kits on hand, and that the regional medical center does not have a registered Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
The closest rape kit available would have required a drive to Waco or Dallas, the lawsuit says.
The victim's mother reached back out to both campus police and the college's Title IX office for an update, the lawsuit says, but the campus police did not have a report and the Title IX office told the victim's mother there was "no record of Plaintiff's sexual assault, insisting instead to the report Plaintiff attempted to make as 'allegations'."
The victim withdrew from Navarro College and enrolled at a different Texas university where she currently is on the cheer team. The victim claims in the lawsuit that she's being "blackballed" from many nationally ranked programs with former Navarro cheerleaders as coaches or team members.
The lawsuit also claims the victim suffered from a "pervasive culture of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and intimidation," citing previous instances at the school -- including the conviction of former "Cheer" star Jerry Harris, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for coercing teenage boys. The lawsuit names two other instances where male cheerleaders within the program were arrested and charged with sexual assault and a third where a male was sued for allegations of sexual assault.
The victim is seeking "damages in an amount within the Court's jurisdictional limits" and a trial by jury.
Reached by comment, Navarro College provided WFAA the following statement:
"The College denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court. The safety and welfare of students is always of utmost priority. Navarro College prohibits sexual harassment and sexual misconduct against all students and is deeply committed to providing an educational environment free from sex discrimination and sexual assault."
Aldama posted a statement about the civil lawsuit to Instagram on May 3:
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