Olympic bronze medallist Rosey Fletcher is among three former U.S. snowboarders suing their ex‑coach, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) federation, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The lawsuit alleges that the organizations covered up sexual abuse. Fletcher, a 2006 Olympic bronze medallist, joined Erin O’Malley and Callan Chythlook‑Sifsof in filing the suit against former coach Peter Foley and the sports bodies in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The plaintiffs claim Foley committed sexual assault and battery against them and other women for “nearly twenty years,” doing so with the “assistance, permission and endorsement” of the USOPC and USSS. The suit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, alleges Foley exploited his position of trust to “coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation, and retaliation.” According to the complaint, “Foley’s abuse was reported to executives of the USSS and the USOPC on numerous occasions by multiple athletes who were coached by Foley, yet no action was taken.”
In a separate lawsuit filed Thursday, former USSS communications staffer Lindsey Nikola also alleged sexual misconduct by Foley. US Ski & Snowboard responded that it has not yet been served with the complaint and therefore has not had an opportunity to fully review it. The federation emphasized that it “prioritizes the safety, health and well‑being of its athletes and staff.” It reiterated that it reported allegations of misconduct against Foley to the U.S. Center for SafeSport in 2022, noting that the case is currently under SafeSport investigation, which has full jurisdiction over such matters. The USOPC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chythlook‑Sifsof first went public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Foley in February 2022, when he was coaching the U.S. team at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In an Instagram post she claimed “Peter Foley has taken naked photos of female athletes for over a decade” and recounted a sexual remark he made to her and a teammate when she was 17 at Lake Louise, Canada, in 2014. Foley received support from snowboarders on the Olympic team last February, but he was fired by USSS in March after being temporarily suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
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