An unnamed sexual assault victim has filed a lawsuit against USA Swimming<\/strong> for negligence that allowed Stockton Swim Club to “become a sexual hunting ground for the team\u2019s head coach,” according to The Gazette<\/em>. The trial will take place this week in California.<\/p>\n

The girl\u2019s lawyers, led by San Jose-based B. Robert Allard<\/strong>, will be questioning USA Swimming’s lack of change within the sport regarding its approach to sexual assault cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSA Swimming does not seem to understand that almost 95 percent of its members are children,\u201d Allard said. \u201cAs such, they are one of the largest child care organizations in the country and have a critically important obligation to keep kids safe, especially from predators.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tim Hinchey<\/strong>, who was hired by USA Swimming as its new CEO after Chuck Wieglus<\/strong> died in 2017, told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee in May 2018: \u201cWhile we cannot change the past, we will learn from it, and we will do better. Our commitment to preventing child sexual abuse and providing a safe and healthy environment for our athletes is long-lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former swim coach\u00a0Shunichi Fujishima\u00a0<\/strong>of Stockton Swim Club was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Stockton, California judge<\/strong>, and had pleaded guilty to sexually terrorizing an underaged girl that he coached over seven months last year. He also pleaded guilty to targeting a 13-year-old girl he coached with unlawful sexual communications for four months.<\/p>\n