Suburban Chicago Figure Skating Coach Accused of Assaulting Minor

Source: Darien Park District

A lawsuit filed in a suburban Chicago court accuses a local figure skating coach of sexually assaulting a young girl amid charges that multiple organizations failed to protect the minor, NBC Chicago reported. The girl was allegedly molested by Vearle Klinger, her jumping coach, at the Darien Sportsplex, where the MA Figure Skating Academy operates.

According to CBS Chicago, the lawsuit names Klinger, several instructors, and the Darien Park District, which owns and operates the Sportsplex, as defendants. The alleged abuse took place several times between 2016 and 2018 when the girl was a minor, an issue made worse by the assertion from the state's attorney's office in DuPage County that they could not pursue criminal charges due to a lack of evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attorneys for the young girl are calling for monetary damages and are urging other possible victims to come forward. "It is going to be something she deals with now and for the rest of her life—emotionally," attorney Allyson West told NBC Chicago. The lawsuit also criticizes the skating entities for the lack of "proper policies and procedures in place to ensure that this didn't happen," CBS Chicago reported.

Upon attempting to secure a comment from Klinger at his Naperville home, reporters were met with no response. An attorney for the Park District stated NBC Chicago that they have only "recently been made aware of the lawsuit and will be reviewing the allegations." Despite comprehensive guidelines set by U.S. Figure Skating: To prevent such incidents, the organization has not commented on the case.

The girl's parents, shaken by the alleged breach of trust, filed a police report in 2021, but the lack of subsequent criminal charges has pushed them to seek justice through civil action. "We feel like there should have been proper policies and procedures in place to ensure that this didn't happen," the girl's parents said, according to NBC Chicago, indicating a severe lapse in the oversight meant to protect the most vulnerable in these sporting environments.