UCLA Facilitated Track Star’s Sexual Predation of Young Athletes
(Los Angeles, CA) – Attorneys from Shubin Law Office, Inc., Greenberg Gross and Jeff Anderson & Associates filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the Regents of the University of California for UCLA and Conrad Mainwaring. Mainwaring, a former track and field Olympian, has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of people he has coached. He has been criminally charged with sexual battery by Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. The law firms filed this case on behalf of a survivor who, according to the complaint, was assaulted by Mainwaring when he was a child and wishes to remain anonymous.
“The lawsuit is the latest allegation against Conrad Mainwaring, adding to the pattern of grooming and sexual assault perpetrated by Mainwaring,” said attorney Andrew Shubin of Shubin Law Office. “Mainwaring gained the trust of young athletes under the guise of providing them with elite training techniques which, in reality, was a vehicle for him to sexually assault them. “
The plaintiff was introduced to Mainwaring around 2007, when the plaintiff was still in middle school. The complaint notes that the plaintiff and Mainwaring developed a mentorship relationship and began training remotely as the plaintiff lived in Georgia and Mainwaring was training athletes at UCLA. The complaint details how Mainwaring insisted that the plaintiff share deeply personal information with him, which he used to first groom the plaintiff and then sexually assault him. Having gained the plaintiff’s trust, Mainwaring instructed the plaintiff to perform and describe sexual acts over the telephone. Mainwaring then leveraged his connection to UCLA athletics, sending the plaintiff gifts from the school, and writing him using UCLA Athletic Department letterhead to invite him to visit Los Angeles to train with UCLA and other elite track athletes. Mainwaring eventually convinced the plaintiff to visit UCLA after his junior year of high school, with the promise of having the plaintiff meet with school staff and recruiters.
“The complaint highlights how Mainwaring had open access to UCLA’s training facilities, training staff and its athletic prestige,” said Greenberg Gross attorney Deborah Mallgrave. “It was this access that enabled Mainwaring’s to lure and assault the plaintiff and other young athletes.”
According to the complaint, during plaintiff’s visit to UCLA, Mainwaring trained the plaintiff every day on UCLA’s Drake Stadium track. Mainwaring also arranged for the plaintiff to train with UCLA athletic staff and UCLA track members, tour the campus, stay overnight in a UCLA track member’s dorm room, and meet with UCLA’s eligibility coordinator Nicholas Thornton and recruiting coordinator Justin Price. Mr. Thornton was frequently at Mainwaring’s apartment.
The plaintiff stayed at Mainwaring’s apartment every night for a week, with the exception of the one night when the plaintiff stayed at the UCLA track member’s dorm room. Mainwaring sexually assaulted the plaintiff while the plaintiff was staying at his apartment.
The complaint alleges that after the plaintiff returned from his visit to UCLA, Mainwaring continued sexually abusing him over the phone. The complaint also alleges that Mainwaring convinced the plaintiff to email him sexually suggestive pictures of himself in his underwear.
“Mainwaring took full advantage of his relationships with UCLA’s staff to convince young athletes that he was a legitimate, elite trainer who could advance a young athlete’s career,” said attorney Mike Reck of Jeff Anderson & Associates. “It was not until July 2016 that UCLA banned Mainwaring from campus after a UCLA alumnus confronted Mainwaring at Drake Stadium about the sexual assault he suffered at the hands of Mainwaring. UCLA failed to protect young athletes.”
A little over a year ago, an ESPN investigation uncovered at least 41 allegations of sexual assault and abuse. In the time since then, other survivors have come forward.