Bradenton’s IMG Academy, the high-profile sports boarding school, is under fresh scrutiny after two former students filed a lawsuit saying they were sexually assaulted on campus and left unprotected by the adults in charge. Their complaint paints a picture of “chaos, lawlessness and neglect” inside the residence halls and seeks damages while naming an older teammate as the alleged attacker.
What The Lawsuit Alleges
The suit claims that students as young as 13 were housed with athletes as old as 20 and that “no one was actually monitoring the dormitory or reviewing the camera footage,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. The plaintiffs say drugs such as LSD, MDMA and marijuana were commonly present on campus and that supervision was inconsistent, especially overnight. The case was filed on behalf of two unnamed former student-athletes who argue the academy failed in its basic duty to keep minors safe.
Criminal Allegations Tied To The Complaint
One episode described in the lawsuit traces back to 2021 and is linked to the arrest of former student Patrick Guinee Jr., according to Globe Magazine. He was charged that year with counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor and later accepted a plea deal. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say school officials did not dig deeply enough into reports or step in forcefully after the incident. They argue that this alleged pattern is central to their claim that IMG’s policies and on-the-ground supervision were not up to the job.
IMG’s Response
IMG Academy says it acted once the conduct came to light. The school removed the student-athlete involved, contacted local law enforcement, and notified parents and the wider school community, while stressing its “commitment to providing a safe, structured, and supportive environment,” the Tampa Bay Times reports. The academy also told investigators it maintains comprehensive safeguards and cooperated with authorities throughout. Attorneys for the plaintiffs counter that any reforms IMG points to came only after years of alleged problems and do not wipe away earlier failures they say put students at risk.
Broader Scrutiny And Context
The lawsuit lands at a moment when IMG is already dealing with other legal and regulatory issues. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a 1.72 million dollar settlement in February over apparent counternarcotics sanctions violations, and federal dockets list additional complaints and litigation involving the academy this year. According to Justia, those matters form a reputational backdrop as the new sexual-assault case moves ahead. Critics say the cluster of cases raises wider questions about oversight at elite sports boarding schools and how rigorously they police their own operations.
Legal Next Steps
The lawsuit has a hearing set for August, when the judge is expected to take up early motions and map out the schedule for discovery, according to Globe Magazine. If the case survives initial challenges, both sides would move into exchanging records and taking depositions from staff, coaches and students, a process that could reveal more detail about how on-campus supervision and reporting actually worked. Lawyers for the plaintiffs and IMG have each signaled they are prepared to press their positions through court filings and sworn testimony.
For families weighing residential sports programs, the lawsuit zeroes in on a fundamental question: where responsibility for safety really sits once students move into dorm life. From dorm monitors to camera review policies, the case tests whether current safeguards are enough. The August hearing is likely to be the next key public moment; until then, the complaint, IMG’s statements and new filings in the docket will offer the clearest window into how this fight unfolds.
