‘Cheer’ Coach Monica Aldama accused of covering up sexual assault

A new lawsuit accuses Navarro College coach Monica Aldama of Netflix’s series ‘Cheer’ of covering up a sexual assault involving one of her cheerleaders.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Dallas and alleges that Aldama and other cheerleaders and staff discouraged the plaintiff from reporting the incident, reports the Dallas Morning News.

The plaintiff claims she was sexually assaulted by another member of the squad during her first semester at Navarro and that when she went to Aldama for guidance, the coach promised to help her career if she did not report it.

She says that in September 2021, her roommate brought male cheerleaders into their room late one night while she was asleep and that one of them climbed into her bed and assaulted her. The victim says she called for help and was ultimately able to push him away.

When she told an older cheerleader about the incident, she says the response was, “You just need to drink it off and get your mind off of it” because “that’s what Navarro girls do — they drink. We don’t tell anyone. We just keep it to our self.”

Defendants in the lawsuit include Aldama, Navarro College’s Director of Athletics Michael Landers, the college’s Title IX Coordinator Elizabeth Pillans, the college itself and the man accused of the assault, People Magazine reported.

Navarro College “denies any allegations of wrongdoing and is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court,” the college said in a statement.

The case marks the latest in multiple sexual assault lawsuits against Navarro’s cheerleading team.

In 2020, cheerleader Jerry Harris, one of the stars of “Cheer,” was accused by underage twin brothers of sexually abusing them and demanding nude photographs. Two years later, Harris was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to 12 years.

In 2021, two other former Navarro cheerleaders were arrested on sex offense charges related to inappropriate conduct with minors.