Wow! I’m amazed he’s still allowed to compete, given that SafeSport says they’ve found additional victims.
Awkward with him on the U.S. team in Aachen.
Ben rode one of Ann Romney’s horses in the U25 classes at the GDF this year.
Jan rides for her as well. I wonder what effect this lawsuit will have on that arrangement.
@SBrentnall It must be a similar to the Bob and Debbie McDonald civil litigation. Safe Sport hasn’t suspended them either (and you know USEF won’t act on their own.) Who knows? It seems like we haven’t heard the end of this.
I hope Jane Doe has a good support system around her.
Very odd if Safesport has found other victims that he is still allowed to compete. He was also a minor when the alleged acts were committed.
He isn’t a minor now, but Safe Sport has banned minors.
Would be interesting to know the findings of the criminal investigation. Seems there are none so far, or it’s not done yet? No comment from the sheriff. Very awkward situation. If the other victims come forward, it could get even more awkward.
This article, written by the mother of the victim of Rich Fellers, explains the process and the difficulties that young victims face when dealing with law enforcement.
I am still confused.
If there is a court case pending does Safe Sport step back until the case settled?
If it is a Criminal case, Safe Sport acts. Apparently they don’t act immediately when Civil cases are filed.
This will be an interesting case given the ages involved. The alleged perpetrator was 17 years old at the time of the offense. Some jurisdictions will decide to try as an adult. Some will decide to try as a minor. If tried as a youthful offender or juvenile delinquent, it’s very possible a Family Court and not a Criminal Court might handle the case. If so, it’s possible for the convicted to get a very short sentence.
It’s entirely possible that any SS punishment will be worse than any Court punishment. The defendant may or may not be put on the registry. Usually they try to plead down so they’re not.
Whatever the sentence in a criminal trial, the perpetrator will be banned by Safe Sport.
I would think, but I don’t know, that if a party is found liable in a Civil court they would be banned by Safe Sport as well.
I would think that a Civil Court proceeding could not affect SS status.
What is your reasoning?
The is the official statement from the Ebeling family (just posted on The Acres FB page):
July 1, 2022
The Ebeling family is aware of the baseless claims made against their son Ben, Jan and Amy, and their company. The allegations are false and outrageous. The Ebeling’s lawyers will vigorously prosecute any claims they may have against the Plaintiff. They also will take all necessary and legal steps to prove that the claims made against them arise solely from corrupt motives.
It is no accident that the filing of the civil complaint against the Ebelings occurred on the eve of dressage’s largest competition in Aachen, serving as final selection for the FEI Dressage World Championships. The Plaintiff and those supporting her are seeking to destroy a young man’s rising career for the sake of advancing others’ unwarranted gain. We believe that judges, juries and arbitrators now understand that lives should not be destroyed by sordid stories. That is why there will be no compromise in resolving this case.
Ben has cooperated fully with both the Safe Sport investigation and the Ventura Sheriff’s Department. At the instruction of the investigators, the Ebelings have refrained from discussing this matter publicly. It should be noted that even though Plaintiff pursued criminal charges, and filed a complaint with Safe Sport, no criminal case was brought.
Ben Ebeling continues to compete on the US Dressage Team.
He will continue to give everything he has to make his country proud.
Civil cases don’t adjudicate crimes. They seek (for the most part) either monetary compensation or in rare cases to compel some sort of action.
Yes, however Safe Sport does not always rely on criminal convictions when it bans people.
From the statement written by the Ebeling’s attorney, it looks as though there will now be two nasty civil suits involving U.S. dressage riders/trainers.
More info. I’m not sure why they didn’t file a criminal case unless it’s a Statute of Limitations issue depending on what they would charge as well as the age of victim and perp: forcible touching, rape, sexual assault etc.
Maybe the fact the alleged perp was 17 at the time is why they didn’t bother with criminal charges?
In some jurisdictions an 18 year old with a 14 year old is statutory rape. But if it’s a 17 year old and a 14 year old it isn’t.
There apparently is a criminal investigation, so presumably the victim and her family made a complaint.
Occasionally civil suits can be used to bootstrap into criminal cases through discovery. Possibly the state doesn’t have enough probable cause to issue warrants to search electronic devices, etc, but may be able to get there throughout the civil discovery process. #purespeculation
