Press release from spokesperson for Dia Rianda’s attorney, Ed Vasquez: Schubert, Former Olympic Team Coach, Sued for Protecting Swim Coach from Sex Abuse Charges
Longtime USA Swimming Coach and Benefactor Dia Rianda sues Mark Schubert after she is fired for purportedly trying to keep Coach William “Bill” Jewell from having access to children while under investigation by USA Swimming for alleged sex abuse charges.
SAN JOSE, CA – September 17, 2012 – USA Swimming coach Dia Rianda has hired the sexual abuse law firm of Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard to file a wrongful termination lawsuit (Orange County Superior Court, Case # ) against former USA Swimming Olympic Team Coach Mark Schubert and his swim club, Golden West Swim Club (GWSC). Rianda claims in the lawsuit that she was fired by Schubert for trying to keep Coach William “Bill” Jewell away from children while he was under investigation by USA Swimming for alleged sexual abuse charges and for warning Schubert about complaints from parents about Jewell’s inappropriate behavior.
According to the complaint, shortly after Rianda was hired as General Team Manager and Head Age Group Coach of GWSC, Mark Schubert hired his former assistant coach from USC, William “Bill” Jewell, as a GWSC assistant coach even though Jewell had been fired from his previous position as coach of Fullerton Aquatics Swim Club (“FAST”), an Elite Training Center funded by USA Swimming, and was under investigation by USA Swimming for the alleged sexual abuse of swimmers.
The lawsuit states that Rianda informed both Schubert and USA Swimming about Jewell’s behavior, including alleged inappropriate conduct she observed, along with a series of complaints from club parents. Specifically, Ms. Rianda complained to both Executive Director Chuck Wielgus and “Athlete Protection Officer” Susan Woessner about Jewell’s sexual misconduct. The complaint states that Schubert threatened Rianda that her future as a coach would be destroyed if she continued to question Jewell’s behavior, which by this time had been under investigation by USA Swimming for nearly one year. Shortly thereafter, the lawsuit states that Schubert fired Rianda by making it clear that the only reason her employment was terminated was due to her complaints concerning Coach Jewell’s alleged inappropriate conduct.
“Dia Rianda loves the sport of swimming. This lawsuit is about protecting children and not about money. This is a family that contributed nearly half a million dollars toward the building of a swimming pool at Carmel High School, donated their time and money into building a swim program in Monterey County, and are major financial contributors to the USA Swimming Foundation. Dia just wants USA Swimming to get rid of the bad eggs that continue to sit at the top of its leadership structure. Until that is done, this kind of corruption will manifest itself over and over again, in which case kids will continue to be exposed to sexual abuse and harassment”, said Robert Allard, attorney for Rianda.
As a longtime USA Swimming coach, Rianda considered Schubert a longtime friend and mentor, even bringing the Hall of Fame coach to share his expertise with her swim programs in Salinas and Palma High School. Because of that relationship, the lawsuit claims that Schubert called Rianda to help him resurrect the GWSC program as Schubert was dealing with personal issues. Rianda, according to the lawsuit, uprooted to Orange County from Carmel, assumed control of operations and brought the program back to national prominence.
Jewell, according to the complaint, was originally hired at FAST as a result of Schubert working behind the scenes to take control of a team that he lost when he was the head national coach for USA Swimming. The complaint states that in order take power from FAST coach Sean Hutchison, Schubert surreptitiously hired a private investigator to film and/or photograph Hutchison engaging in alleged inappropriate sexual activities with female swimmers. Schubert, the lawsuit alleges, then used the incriminating evidence concerning Hutchison to leverage a $625,000 “confidential” settlement from USA Swimming, which at the time was reeling in the midst of a sex abuse scandal and was highly motivated to shield this information from public view.
In exchange for the hundreds of thousands of dollars that he received, Schubert, according to the lawsuit, promised that he would not publicly discuss any sexual abuse allegations against USA Swimming coaches, including Hutchison and another prominent USA Swimming coach named Rick Curl.
According to the complaint, Schubert confided to Rianda that, while he was head coach at the University of Texas, he learned that Curl had sexually abused one of his swimmers, Kelly Davis, over a number of years, leading her to develop an eating disorder and other emotional problems. As opposed to helping Davis and/or taking steps to ensure that Curl would not molest others in the future, Schubert decided to push Davis off the team in the interest of the other girls. Schubert confided in Rianda that he informed USA Swimming’s Executive Director Chuck Wielgus about Curl on multiple occasions but no action was ever taken, allowing Curl unfettered access to children for years until Davis came forward in the summer of 2012.
The courts always in general rule in favor of the child or juevenile
who may have been victumized.
The outcome is all in the “DISCOVERY” & credibity of the person or persons
that filed the complaint.
I was a YOUTH ADVOCATE SOCIAL WORKER & any under age of 18 person
that may have. been involved or targeted i s entitled to a YAP social worker & also an attorney from the jeuvenile court system in the County where the alledge crime took place.
The Youth Advocate Program started in Harrisburg Pennsylvania & exists in many Counties
throughout the US.
Ray Miller
This is all BS. Dia Rianda was fired because she is not qualified. She bought her way in to the swimming world and is now using her money to try and destroy the lives of two great socal swim coaches that have NEVER done anything that she is suggesting. There was no hush money and USA Swimming has already come out and admitted that allegation is completely false. this woman should be put in prison right along with that pinhead attorney she hired for making false accusations as a means of retaliation. Don’t believe this crap…the truth will come out soon enough.
Don’t talk like that! This is only the lawyers’ business to decide who is right and who is wrong, But, if it’s happened a second time with Bill Jewell, and people of 2 swim clubs complain on his wrong behavior against female swimmers, so, some truth to it. Let’s put this business in the hand of justice.
I swam for Bill and he is a male chauvinistic pig who was not only disrespectful to me but he also asked me inappropriate questions not to mention he yelled at me and favored male swimmers financially as charging women more but men paid lower or no fees. Also Bill Jewel did not talk highly of Mark Schubert at all as he bad mouthed him to me.
I have no idea why in hell would Mark Schubert, who has a lovely wife & 2 daughters himself, would hire that old egotistical man Bill Jewel to coach alongside of him at GoldenWest. I would think Mark would of learned from coaching with him at USC or from the Bud of… Read more »
Sour grapes from a sub par swimmer perhaps???
This is all bs i swim for schubert and bill right now no where has bill crossed the line with me or my team mates
USA Swimming’s tactic in response to these situations seems to be “Deny, Deceive, Distract, Delay”…
The Schubert settlement has been denied as a rumor for some time. This lawsuit looks like it will show that denial as a false one. Doubly so if Schubert also received any amount in addition to the $625,000 through the USSIC account in Barbados. Deny and Deceive.
Distract and Delay are next. If USA Swimming tries to turn the conversation to Bob Allard instead of dealing strictly with the fact,s USA Swimming can hit both of those at once.
Bob Allard and local law enforcement have done more to force the sex abuse problem into the daylight than any other groups so far. We should… Read more »
Don’t believe everything you read in this story or the AP story. The story is based upon a complaint drafted by an attorney that in my humble opinion has a penchant for exaggeration and misinformation is as big as his ego. The scurrilous allegations are not fact. As for the plaintiff’s allegations between she and Schubert only those two know the truth.
Let us see what happens with the Curl hearing tomorrow. Allard may be on a self serving mission to get rich by suing USAS and to oust the current leadership, but, if he actually uncovers the epicenter of what is a widely known sex abuse scandal problem and the potential of a major cover up, then I say RIGHT ON. Let them all go to jail.
Bill Jewell has never crossed the lines of being sexual towards his swimmer. I have known Jewell and swam under him for over 6 years now. Bill is by no means a man of any harm. His previous allegations were from swimmers that in all honesty, needed a way out. Their performances had been lack-luster and Bill had threatened to move them down to a lesser group. Bill and Mark are two of the greatest coaches in this sport and I know that neither of them would go to such extremes. News like this is nothing more than a way to try and make controversy.
This article is sickening on two levels:
a. That Schubert was completely willing to cover up Jewell’s behaviour because of their friendship. How many others has he covered up over the years? While at the same time betraying another friend, Rianda and creating turmoil in her life in many ways, just because she was trying to do the right thing, but against Schuber’s orders.
b. What this article leaves out is the fact that USA Swimming also had a private investigator follow Hutchison along with a lengthy investigation and found no wrong doing.
It is obvious that Jewell and Schubert went after Hutchison to leverage their own interests.
This can be seen not only through Schubert’s actions, but… Read more »
Frank Busch is not at the helm of USA Swimming. He is at the helm of a division. Those at the helm of USA Swimming are the same ones who paid a $625,000 settlement that included a non-disclosure. That non-disclosure apparently read : “he would not publicly speak about any sexual abuse issues in general, including what he knew about Kelley Currin, Rick Curl and USA Swimming’s knowledge of same.”
Thats a lot of money to keep schubert quiet about Curl. Was that to protect Curl, or to protect USA Swimming for lying about what they knew about Curl. There are so many different branches to go down here. And I’m sure Allard will (and already has).
You are sadly misinformed because you are believing everything you read in the press. BS sells newspapers and gets free publicity…what part of that do Americans NOT understand. All of these allegations are fraudulent BS, period.