6 coaches accused of sex abuse, broadening allegations against SC Rockstar Cheer gym

Six victims have been added to a federal lawsuit against Rockstar Cheer and its owner, who has been accused of sex abuse and providing alcohol to minors.

Owner Scott Foster killed himself shortly before the first lawsuits against him were announced about two weeks ago, one in state court, the other in federal.

The Strom Law Firm in Columbia announced Thursday they had added to their federal lawsuit the names of six more defendants, including Kenny Feeley, who worked at Rockstar and left to start his own cheer gym, Spring CTD. Its website says Spring is based in Canada and the United States. The website does not say where in the U.S., but the phone number’s area code is San Diego.

Feeley is accused of raping a 16-year-old girl and plying her with alcohol and marijuana.

The lawsuit also names as defendants coaches Josh Guyton, Nathan Allan Plank, Christopher Hinton, Traevon (Tracy) Black and Peter Holley.

Guyton, a stunter and tumbling coach, is accused of touching a 15-year-old girl so often she did not recognize it as sex abuse until she confided his actions to her mother. He identifies himself on Facebook as a two-time world champion cheerleader and two time world silver medalist. He announced he was retiring from cheerleading in April, calling it a “crazy journey” of six years.

Plank, who was 24 at the time, is accused of sending nude photos and videos of himself masturbating to a 13-year-old girl. The same girl was pressured into giving Hinton oral sex when she was 14. Her mother reported the abuse to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the lawsuit says.

Black and Holley were accused of pressuring a 16-year-old boy to send them nude pictures of himself.

The lawsuit also says defendants Bain Capital, Charlesbank, Varsity, USA All Star Federation and USA Cheer knew of the various allegations but did nothing.

“For Varsity Spirit, the USASF and Bain Capital, these survivors didn’t matter. Their checks did,” Strom Law attorney Bakari Sellers said in a news release.

Sellers also accused the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office of ignoring complaints from Rockstar victims.

Lt. Ryan Flood of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said, “That is absolutely untrue. We have received zero complaints regarding any sexual abuse against Scott Foster.”

The lawsuit says athletes were transported across state lines and abused at events sanctioned by Varsity Spirit and the USASF. Both organizations were asked many times to investigate abuse, the lawsuit says.

Varsity, in turn, offered significant monetary benefits to increase participation in events, including cash rebates, “as well as in creating event environments that co-mingled child athletes with adult coaches, gym owners, and choreographers, while providing these same child athletes with access to drugs and alcohol with minimal parental or adult supervision,” the lawsuit says.

Strom Law Firm attorney Jessica Fickling said, “Imagine the courage it takes for a rape survivor to report her abuse. And how did Varsity Spirit and the USASF reward that courage? They dismissed her, called her a liar and told her she should find another gym. For the defendants, the almighty dollar was far more valuable than the future of these athletes.”

Strom attorney Alexandra Benevento said abuse dates back two decades and spans the nation. More lawsuits will be filed, naming new defendants and gyms across the country, she said.

“It’s impossible that Varsity Spirit, the USASF and Bain Capital didn’t know it was happening. We want to give safety back to these athletes and make sure this never happens again,” Benevento said.

Rockstar, which announced it has closed permanently, also faces a lawsuit by a girl who says Foster spent six months talking to her, sent her nude pictures of himself and asked for nude pictures of her before talking her into performing sex acts at his home, in his vehicle, at the gym and in hotels during competitions.

Foster also gave the girl alcohol, the lawsuit says.

Also named as defendants in the case are Rockstar Cheer, United States All Star Federation, Varsity Spirits and National Center for Safety Initiatives. The federation and Varsity had received complaints about Foster before he became involved with the girl yet failed to act, the lawsuit says.

It was filed in Greenville County state court by lawyers from Chappell, Smith and Arden of Columbia and Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey of Greenville.

Foster killed himself Aug. 22 while he sat in his vehicle at Paris Mountain State Park in Greenville County.

Lawyers have said Foster was aware of the investigation when he committed suicide.

Foster, 49, opened Rockstar Cheer in 2007 and was a cheerleading coach at other gyms since he moved to Greenville in 1999. He was a cheerleader at the University of Louisville, as was Feeley.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been investigating the allegations contained in the lawsuits for about two months.