Cheer’s Monica Aldama Responds to Student’s ‘False’ Sexual Assault Lawsuit Allegations: I’m ‘Heartbroken’

usmagazine.com:

Cheer star Monica Aldama shared her reaction to the news that student Madi Lane is suing her and Navarro College for allegedly concealing a sexual assault.The cheerleading coach, 51, told TMZ on Friday, April 28, that she is “heartbroken by the false allegations” in Lane’s lawsuit.

The Texas native went on to note that she’s worked “year after year” to keep the Navarro cheer team a safe space, adding that she would not remain silent if she were “aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the cheer program.”A rep for Navarro College, meanwhile, told the outlet that the school plans to “vigorously defend itself in court.”Earlier this week, Us Weekly confirmed that Lane — a Navarro student who was formerly a member of Aldama’s squad — filed a lawsuit against the coach and the Texas school.

In court documents obtained by Us, Lane alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a teammate during her first semester at the college in 2021.Lane went on to claim that she report the incident to Aldama, who allegedly told her to “not make this a big deal.” While Lane decided to quit the Navarro cheer team, she claimed that the Full Out author offered to help her find another team if she kept “quiet” about the alleged misconduct.According to the court filing, Lane also reported the alleged assault to campus police, who allegedly told her “this type of thing happens all the time” and “nothing will happen” in terms of the assailant facing consequences.After news of Lane’s lawsuit broke, Aldama briefly deactivated her Instagram account.The Navarro cheer squad was previously at the center of a scandal when former student Jerry Harris was arrested on charges of production of child pornography after an FBI investigation.