Help protect our athletes!

My name is Meagan and I’m asking for your help!

From May 2021-May 2022 my children were part of an Allstar cheerleading gym in the Savannah, GA area. I have been involved in the sport for the prior 22 years - as an athlete, coach, judge, and finally as a parent of athletes for 10+ years.

While at that gym, I witnessed behavior that was, in my opinion, very concerning. After consulting with mentors in cheer, I reported the behavior to USASF, the governing body for Allstar cheer, through their establish reporting procedure. After an investigation by a third-party company contracted by USASF, the owner of the gym was put on the temporarily suspended list maintained by USASF.

After additional investigation, USASF made the decision to permanently ban the owner. But, she continued to attend USASF competitions, hugging and interacting with athletes, which is a violation of the code of conduct and owner member agreement once someone is banned.

This gym owner has now sued me, the third-party investigation company, another local gym, and the owner of that gym, for defamation, libel, slander, and tortious interference. Nothing I reported was untrue, and in fact was supported by videos on social media, statements in other publicly available lawsuits brought against her by other cheer families, and even a criminal charge that later settled. Anyone could have reported the same information that I did.

At the root of this, is the very serious precedent being set - parents being sued for following the reporting process designed to keep athletes in the sport safe. If this precedent is set now, it is a very real possibility that people will be too afraid to report in the future, opening the door for continued abuse and exposure to unsafe situations and individuals.

I am fighting these allegations not only to uphold my name, but to uphold the safety process for our athletes. The cost of having to defend yourself is staggering for an average individual, which is why I am asking for help to cover my legal expenses. Any donation is helpful. If any donations are left over at the close of the case, they will be donated to The Army of Survivors supporting victims of abuse in sports. Thank you for your support!