(ATR) A prominent sports psychologist sues the U.S.Olympic Committee and former IOC member Angela Ruggiero for defamation.
Dr. Stephen Ungerleider says the lawsuit was filed in Federal Court, March 16 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ungerleider accuses Ruggiero and the USOC of describing as lies his accusations of sexual abuse involving young athletes. He alleges that staff from the USOC as well as Ruggiero tried to discredit the serious charges he was trying to expose.
USOC director of external affairs Patrick Sandusky tells Around the Rings "we don't believe this is a valid lawsuit and plan to defend ourselves vigorously".
Ruggiero could not be reached for immediate comment.
"This lawsuit involves one such effort to cover up the sexual abuse crisis, as the USOC and one of its most prominent directors, Angela Ruggiero, tried to silence a long-time member of the Olympic Movement, Dr. Steven Ungerleider, who has been working to get the USOC to finally address the sexual abuse crisis and bring redress to the abuse survivors. They did so first by defaming Dr. Ungerleider to destroy his credibility, and then by forcing him out of the USOC and thereby interfering with his livelihood,"reads the opening of the complaint.
"Rather than supporting Dr. Ungerleider’s efforts to address the sexual abuse crisis, Ruggiero worked to undermine his efforts to force the USOC and its national governing bodies to belatedly address the sexual abuse crisis. In the process, Ruggiero intentionally made false and defamatory statements regarding Dr. Ungerleider and his efforts," says the lawsuit.
The filing cites examples it claims prove the case .
"In a phone call on or about October 3, 2017 with Arne Ljungqvist, MD, Ph.D, IOC member and founder and chair of the IOC Medical Commission, Ruggiero, who upon information and belief was in Massachusetts at the time, accused Dr. Ungerleider of fabricating stories of sexual abuse perpetrated against young gymnasts. She further claimed that Dr. Ungerleider was a "fraud" and was manipulating the athletes and their allegations in order to exaggerate the sexual abuse crisis. She stated that Dr. Ungerleider was only seeking to create additional problems for the sexual abuse victims. She tried to convince Dr. Ljungqvist that the Medical Commission need not investigate the crisis or discuss it during their meetings."
"At a dinner in New York City at the Women’s Sport Foundation in October 2017, Ruggiero spoke with Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, a well-known Olympian and advocate for healthy sport. Again, Ruggiero sought to stop Dr. Ungerleider’s effort to create a commission or to bring the issue to the Medical Commission. She again accused Dr. Ungerleider of fabricating information about the sexual abuse crisis and further stated that Dr. Ungerleider’s efforts were unnecessary because U.S. authorities had the sexual abuse allegations under control," the suit says.
In the third instance, Ungerleider says Ruggiero spoke with Dr. Richard Budgett, the IOC Medical and Scientific Director in October 2017. The lawsuit says Ruggiero told the IOC medical chief that Dr. Ungerleider was lying about the extent of the sexual abuse crisis.
"Ruggiero, herself, has been a member of the SafeSport task force, so she is in a position to know about the extent of the sexual abuse. Ruggiero knows that Dr. Ungerleider is not manipulating the abuse survivors, but is working to redress the sexual abuse experienced by these athletes and prevent their recurrence in the future. As a result, Ruggiero made these statements with knowledge that they were untrue, or in reckless disregard of their truth," the lawsuit charges.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial.
In an interview with Around the Rings in February Ruggiero insisted that as an IOC member, USOC director and chair of the IOC Athletes Commission she supported actions to protect athletes from abuse. Ruggiero left the IOC at the end of February when her eight-year term ended.
Ungerleider says that as a result of the comments made by Ruggiero as well as staff of the USOC, he has been removed from positions within the organization.
He says these include serving as trustee for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, membership of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028, consultant with the World Anti-Doping Agency and work on behalf of the USOC with the Los Angeles school districts.
The Eugene, Oregon-based psychologist says he has suffered economic consequences with the termination of his appointment to the USOC Sport Psychology Registry.
Ungerleider says he has held that certification for 30 years. He calls the list critical for "referral for athletes in need of counseling, and a critical credential for sports psychologists in their profession".
Ungerleider is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 as a result of the delisting.
Ungerleider is a member of the board of trustees of the Foundation for Global Sports Development, an Around the Rings advertiser.
Reported by Ed Hula.