Earlier this month, Ariana Kukors Smith filed a civil suit in Orange County Superior Court against her former coach Sean Hutchison, Mark Schubert, USA Swimming, Aquatics Management Group Inc., Western Zone Swimming, King Aquatic Club, and Pacific Northwest Swimming. The civil suit names the complaint for damages as sexual abuse of a minor, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The civil suit follows accusations that Hutchison sexually assaulted her as a teenager and continued to do so for close to a decade. The suit also alleges that USA Swimming knew about the relationship between Kukors Smith and Hutchison.
Today, Kukors Smith and her lawyer, Robert Allard, appeared on the tv show “Megyn Kelly TODAY” to talk about the civil suit and what it means to her.
In addition to talking about the current civil suit, Kelly and Kukors Smith discussed the 2010 investigation and how it was handled by all parties. From the start, Kukors Smith explained that this civil suit is about accountability.
When asked about the different individuals and corporations named within the civil suit, Allard commented that in swimming “it was the worst kept secret around. Everybody knew about this relationship, the red flags were everywhere, and they just did not do anything to protect her.”
He continued by explaining that while the civil suit is definitely about Hutchison and what he did, it is also about the “people who knew about this. People who were in a position to help Ariana when she was young.”
The segment on “Megyn Kelly TODAY” concluded with Kukors Smith stating that she is “hopeful” about the outcomes of the civil suit and current criminal investigation.
Watch the full Today show video here:
Carla Williams
Lauren Yanow Penzell swimming news
Oh my gosh! Everything she says is spot on!! Especially disheartening is the fact that even in this small community, there are many adults that know and whose kids were also involved on some level won’t speak up because of “the implications”. That only allows the abuse and inappropriate behavior to continue, which leaves no accountability. Thanks for sharing Kathy.