NEW YORK (May 10, 2022) – Marking another victory for nationwide civil defense firm Tyson & Mendes LLP, a high-profile childhood sexual abuse lawsuit has been dismissed against the Professional Skaters Association (PSA), which was being sued by one-time Olympic hopeful Craig Maurizi for the unlawful sexual acts of a famed skating coach.

According to William R. Johnson, the Tyson & Mendes partner who handled the case, the plaintiff, Craig Maurizi, a well-known figure skater, claimed he was abused over an extended period of time by his venerated coach, Richard Callaghan, represented by Walsh, Roberts & Grace. Maurizi sought $10 million and alleged that the Professional Skaters Association and U.S. Figure Skating, among others, knew of but took no steps to stop the abuse.

The plaintiff, represented by Phillips Nizer LLP, was a one-time Olympic hopeful turned Olympic coach. Maurizi alleged in his complaint that Callaghan “used his position of trust and authority to psychologically groom him for what turned into nearly a decade of sexual abuse” in the 1970s and 1980s, and the sport’s leading organizations “conspired to circumvent their own internal procedures to sweep the complaints under the rug.”

In February 2022, U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio in the USDC Western District of New York recommended granting Tyson & Mendes’ motion to dismiss the case against PSA. Maurizi then sought a dismissal of PSA without prejudice so he could amend the Complaint, which Tyson & Mendes also challenged.

“On Thursday, May 5, the Court confirmed that our Motion to Dismiss was granted with prejudice,” Johnson said. “While we feel great sympathy for Mr. Maurizi and the inexcusable abuse he claims to have endured as a minor, the Court ultimately agreed that his claims against PSA were substantively deficient.  The case will now be proceeding against Mr. Maurizi’s former skating club, Buffalo Skating Club, and his former coach, Richard Callaghan.”

Tyson & Mendes has spent 20 years protecting its clients’ interests and delivering justice both inside and outside the courtroom. For more information, visit tysonmendes.com.

About Tyson & Mendes LLP

Celebrating 20 years of taking back justice for all, Tyson & Mendes LLP is a nationwide, AV-rated litigation and trial firm specializing in insurance defense and protecting its clients from Nuclear Verdicts®. Robert Tyson and Patrick Mendes founded the firm in 2002 to defend corporations, insurance companies, and their clients in civil litigation matters. The firm has experienced tremendous growth in the past two decades, with offices across the U.S. serving clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The firm is most widely recognized for winning the landmark Howell v. Hamilton Meats California Supreme Court case, which forever changed the state’s litigation landscape by significantly impacting the damages a plaintiff may recover. Robert Tyson is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All, the first playbook for the defense on how to avoid runaway jury verdicts. For more information, visit tysonmendes.com.

Media Contact:
Ashley Bendas, J. Walcher Communications
ashley@jwalcher.com, 619-295-7140

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