An Aliso Viejo-based gym and several coaches are being sued by three female gymnasts alleging physical, verbal and emotional abuse.
Azarian Gymnastics has yet to respond to our request for comment.
The lawsuit follows investigative reporting by a local news group about abuse allegations involving several coaches at Azarian Gymnastics and a parallel investigation by USA Gymnastics.
"My clients, as with most gymnasts, they suffer injuries and these particular coaches would force them back to full workouts before they were really able to while they were still suffering from these injuries," says Attorney Eric Traut who represents the plaintiffs. "They also would discipline them by hitting them with an open hand on the thigh and it would create marks."
He says they filed suit, in part, because USA Gymnastics didn’t do enough to prevent this behavior in the future.
Despite finding the abuse allegations to be disturbing and true he says they placed the coaches on interim suspension and had them undergo some education.