Greene Broillet & Wheeler Filed First Lawsuits Against Syracuse University, School District and Summer Camp in Sex Abuse Scandal Involving Athletic Coach and Former Olympian

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Feb 28, 2020, 13:32 ET

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Two men filed the first civil lawsuits in Onondaga Supreme Court against the former employers of an athletic coach and Olympian accused of sexually abusing dozens of young men for several decades.

Conrad Mainwaring worked as a track coach, counselor and student advisor at several educational institutions and organizations dating back to the 1970s. He competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics representing the country of Antigua and Barbuda in track events.

"Mainwaring is a master manipulator who preys on vulnerable teenagers," said plaintiff attorney Taylor Rayfield. "These lawsuits are about holding the organizations accountable for turning a blind eye to his predatory behavior and failing to protect young athletes."

The lawsuits allege Syracuse University, Syracuse Public School District and Camp Greylock in Becket, MA gave Mainwaring unfettered access to sexually abuse, sexually assault, and perpetrated egregious sexual misconduct against young students, campers and athletes.

According to the complaints, Mainwaring abused the plaintiffs under the guise of "physiotherapy" and mental training sessions. In reality, Mainwaring sexually abused, molested and sexually assaulted the plaintiffs on multiple occasions.

He's accused of abusing one of the plaintiffs in the mid to late 1970's when he worked as a camp counselor at Camp Greylock. Mainwaring allegedly abused both plaintiffs while he attended graduate school at Syracuse University in the 1980s and worked in student housing on campus. He's also accused of abusing one of the plaintiffs who was a student at nearby Nottingham High School.

Mainwaring was able to manipulate these young men by promising to make them faster and stronger if they were part of his "squad". The plaintiffs claim if they did not participate in the "physiotherapy" he would threaten to kick them off the squad.

According to news reports, three other men claimed they were molested by Mainwaring after he was hired by California Institute of Technology in 1987. Mainwaring also trained athletes at UCLA, but was not employed by the university. He allegedly abused 14 men between the mid-1990s to 2016. In June 2019, the 67-year-old was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with one count of sexual battery by fraud.

New York's Child Victims Act recently opened the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims, giving potential victims more time to seek justice in civil court. However, there are many survivors who were 18 or older at the time of abuse by Mainwaring who are currently prevented from bringing claims.

The Plaintiffs are represented by Taylor Rayfield of Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP and Kat Thomas of Thomas LaBarbera Counselors at Law, P.C. Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP is one of the country's top plaintiffs' personal injury law firms, specializing in sex abuse, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, legal malpractice, and product defect cases, and Thomas LaBarbera Counselors at Law, P.C. specializes in sex abuse and sexual violence.

Link to Shapiro Complaint: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ro4rXj22EDMATfB1etv2G4oieS9kgjHY/view?usp=sharing

Link to Druger Complaint: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fgYly5ABss0Fa4Zi6d0K6p8SUmu-Z75B

Contact:
Gina Fernandes
626-356-3006
[email protected]

SOURCE Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP