12 May 4 – 10, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Joan Jett and The Blackheart X Ambassadors Judah & the Lion Little River Band Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band The Romantcs Joshua Ray Walker Sail On: The Beach Boys Tribute C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band The Peterson Brothers David Wilcox Bidi Bidi Band Squeezebox Bandits Beat Root Revival King Margo Beth Nielsen Chapman Gabe Lee MAY 19-21 Galatn Park Urban Center • Richardson, Texas wildf lowerfest ival.com stop, which he ignored, but she was eventually able to “push him away” and demand that he leave. The victim later confided in fellow team- mates and Aldama, the latter of whom alleg- edly urged her to not “make this a big deal,” according to the suit. Days later, the plaintiff quit the team, prompting Aldama to tell her: “If you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want,” the suit alleges. The suit claims that cheer rookies were told by the team’s “veterans” to wear black- face during hazing rituals. Navarro cheer- leaders also allegedly participate in “extreme partying,” including excessive drinking and snorting prescription stimulants to promote weight loss, according to court documents. Navarro College’s Title IX coordinator and campus police discouraged the plaintiff from reporting the alleged sexual assault, according to the lawsuit. The cheer team is described in the suit as fostering a “perva- sive culture of sexual harassment, sexual vi- olence and intimidation.” The lawsuit alleges that the victim has suffered mental anguish, pain, humiliation and emotional distress and that her “dream of cheering on a nationally ranked team is over.” She’s seeking an unspecified amount in damages and requesting a jury trial. In a statement to the Observer, Aldama said she was “heartbroken by the false allegations” made against her. She further stated that the claims in the lawsuit were “wildly inaccurate” and that Navarro Cheer doesn’t cover up sex- ual assault or harassment reports. “I would never remain silent, or ask any student to remain silent, if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program,” she continued in part. Navarro College also emailed a statement denying all wrongdoing and said it’s ready to “vigorously defend itself in court.” The statement added that “The safety and wel- fare of students is always of utmost priority. ... Navarro College takes every report of sex- ual harassment and sexual assault seriously and acts swiftly to provide an appropriate response to protect all students.” Attorney Judson “Jud” Waltman of The Lanier Law Firm, which represents the plaintiff, told the Observer: “Our client has no comment at this time.” Firm founder Mark Lanier provided his own emailed statement, writing that it’s “tragic when people of authority and trust abuse their positions for personal gratifica- tion, destroying others in the process. “We are seeking preventive justice to ac- knowledge what has happened and the [sic] warn others it will not go easy on anyone who follows such an abusive path,” Lanier continued. Navarro College’s cheer program has at- tracted negative headlines before. In January 2022, shortly after the second season of Cheer premiered on Netflix, a law- suit alleging sexual abuse of a minor was filed against Jason McCartney, a cheerleading coach with ties to the series. The previous summer, a pair of twins named McCartney in a separate lawsuit, citing allegations that he’d used his position of power to sexually abuse them for years, starting when they were 15. News broke earlier this month that an- other cheerleader who starred in the docu- series, La’Darius Marshall, was slapped with a suspension by cheer organizations over allegations of an apparent breach of athlete protection policies. The details sur- rounding his suspension are scarce. Marshall’s penalty comes less than a year after the sentencing of Jerry Harris, another former Navarro cheerleader who was once a Cheer fan favorite. Harris is expected to serve 12 years. ▼ LEGISLATURE ONLY A MEMORY HYPNOTICALLY INDUCED WITNESS TESTIMONY MIGHT SOON BE INADMISSIBLE IN TEXAS CRIMINAL COURTS. BY KELLY DEARMORE T he Texas Senate recently advanced a bill that would prevent the use of wit- ness statements made while under hypnosis in criminal cases. Senate Bill 338, authored by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a Democrat from McAl- len, is the latest effort to make forensic hyp- nosis a thing of the past in Texas courts. A similar bill, also authored by Hinojosa, made it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk last session, but he vetoed it. “I am pleased to see that SB 338 has passed the Senate once again,” Sen. Hinojosa Unfair Park from p10 >> p14 Netflix Netflix’s hit show Cheer is at the center of controversy once more.
