Update to "Inside USA Swimming: Secrets and Betrayal" - ABC News 20/20 on Friday 4/9/10" [QUOTE] SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A California woman sued the governing body of U.S. competitive swimming and her former coach, claiming he sexually abused, humiliated and harassed her when she was a teenager training under his supervision. The suit announced Wednesday is one of several around the country alleging USA Swimming covered up wrongdoing and allowed a culture of abuse to exist in coaching ranks. USA Swimming declined to comment on the latest case but said it investigates misconduct complaints and revokes membership if behavior was inappropriate. The lawsuit claims swim coach Norman Havercroft sexually abused Jancy Thompson over a five-year period in the 1990s, beginning when she was about 15. [/QUOTE] Read the full article at [COLOR=#810081]Calif.coach, USA Swimming sued over alleged abuse[/COLOR]

And from ABC 7's broadcast: [QUOTE] Jancy's lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court accuses swim coach Norm Havercroft of multiple acts of child molestation covering a five-year period starting when Jancy was 15 years old. Attorney Robert Allard says Havercroft used his coaching position to manipulate his victims and "groomed" them for sexual abuse. In Jancy's case, Allard says the control methods began as early as age 11 when Coach Havercroft literally put a dog collar around Jancy's neck and used a leash when she did laps in the pool. "She was degraded and humiliated to the worst degree imaginable; treated like a dog by her swim coach setting her up for the abuse that followed in the future," he said. The lawsuit accuses USA Swimming of covering up the abuse in this case and others. USA Swimming is the governing body of U.S. Competitive Swimming. Attorneys say the organization knew in the 1990's that there were concerns about Havercroft's behavior and did nothing. In fact, the attorneys say there was a confidential settlement made in 2001 between the swimming group and an earlier victim of coach Havercroft. The attorney's say Havercroft fled his Los Gatos home when San Jose police served a search warrant and went on to continue coaching on the East Coast and now lives in Southern California. [/QUOTE] USA Swimming's response: "In fostering an environment where reporting suspected misconduct is not only accepted but expected of all members, we believe it would be detrimental to our efforts to discuss specific cases in the media. We cannot overstate the incredible importance of educating our membership on the topic of abuse and encouraging swift and honest reporting of any suspected misconduct. USA Swimming is not a law enforcement agency, but it does investigate complaints of misconduct in an effort to revoke the membership of any person who engages in inappropriate behavior." Watch the video and read full article at: Calif coach, USA Swimming sued on sex abuse claims | abc7news.com