BOERNE, Texas – A civil lawsuit has been filed against a former gymnastics coach in Boerne who is serving a prison term for sexually abusing several young girls at a gym camp.
The lawsuit names Michael Spiller, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2023, as a defendant.
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Also named as defendants are Spiller’s former employer, Boerne Gymnastics Center, owner Lorna Spellman and USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics in the U.S.
The lawsuit was filed by the Simpson Tuegel Law Firm on behalf of the mothers of two former female gymnasts at the center.
The lawsuit claims that Spiller molested and groped the gymnasts at the center in April of 2022. The lawsuit claims the gymnasts were separated from their peers and classmates when the alleged abuse occurred.
The center and Spellman are accused of being “aware of the abuse and inappropriate behaviors by Spiller, and took no action to prevent further abuse, including the abuse suffered by Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit said. Spellman was also solely responsible for hiring coaches, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit noted that despite the Larry Nassar scandal that shocked the gymnastics world, “longtime abusers and pedophiles such as Spiller remained in the sport.”
“Upon information and belief, USAG engaged in a pattern and practice of employing coaches, staff, and volunteers and retaining members, coaches and clubs known to be dangerous to the young athletes in their care, including Spiller and Boerne Gymnastics,” the lawsuit said. “By allowing Spiller to remain a registered USAG coach, and Boerne Gymnastics to remain a registered member gym, USAG represented to the gymnastics community that Spiller was a safe, trustworthy, ethical, and professional competent coach. This led parents (like those of Plaintiffs in this case) to believe their children were safe while training with Spiller at Boerne Gymnastics, when in fact these children were in danger.”
The lawsuit seeks that a jury award unspecified monetary damages for physical and mental pain, medical expenses, and other reasons.
This is the second lawsuit filed against Spiller. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit are two former female athletes who said Spiller sexually abused them while they attended the “Circus Arts for Kids” program at the center in the early 2000s.