Lawsuit: National soccer groups' negligence led to sex abuse by Evansville-area youth coach

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana woman is suing two national soccer organizations and a state group, claiming their negligence led to her being raped by her youth soccer coach as a teenager.

The lawsuit, filed in Hamilton County (Indiana) Superior Court, lists the defendants in the case as the United States Soccer Federation, United States Youth Soccer Association, Indiana Soccer Association and her former coach, Evansville resident Jeremy Tudela.

The case was filed by attorneys for Haley Osborne, a now-19-year-old woman who was a standout soccer player for Heritage Hills High School. Osborne's attorneys told the Courier & Press that Osborne was comfortable publicly disclosing her name.

In the lawsuit, Osborne's attorneys say she abandoned a college soccer scholarship to Indiana University because of distress from the abuse.

Tudela previously played and coached soccer professionally. In 2013, he founded the Tudela Soccer Academy in Newburgh, Indiana, where he provided private lessons to children.

In February 2020, Tudela pleaded guilty to four counts of child seduction and one count of intimidation. He admitted to having sexual contact with one of the children he coached and was sentenced to serve five years in Indiana state prison.

More crime news: Former Evansville soccer coach sentenced in child seduction case

In 2021, Tudela was charged with child molestation, a Level 4 felony, in a separate filing. He was later found not guilty by a jury.

Lawsuit connected to child seduction case

Osborne was the victim in the child seduction case that sent Tudela to prison, according to court records.

The filing says Osborne began taking soccer lessons at the Tudela Soccer Academy in 2015. At about the same time, she also started playing for Tudela Futbol Club, a youth soccer team Tudela founded.

In 2017, when she was 15 years old, Osborne began babysitting for Tudela in exchange for private soccer lessons, according to the complaint. This, her attorneys wrote, is when the abuse began.

"Tudela invited Osborne to ride in his vehicle without anyone else present, where he questioned (Osborne) about her sexual experiences," the complaint reads. "In November 2018, while Tudela was her coach and private trainer, he forced Osborne to have sexual intercourse with him."

Tudela was reportedly 37 years old at the time, while Osborne was 15.

The lawsuit goes on to allege that Tudela forced Osborne to have sex multiple times while she was a player for Tudela Futbol Club.

In June 2019, Tudela allegedly provided her with a pill and instructed her to take it for the purpose of avoiding pregnancy, the complaint states.

Two months after this incident, Tudela was charged in the child seduction case to which he ultimately pleaded guilty.

"Tudela’s actions have caused Osborne continued and ongoing damage in the form of pain, suffering, mental distress, and other repercussions," her attorneys wrote.

Osborne said the abuse ultimately led her to give up a college scholarship to play soccer at Indiana University.

National soccer organizations, Indiana Soccer Association sued for negligence

The United States Soccer Federation, United States Youth Soccer Association and the Indiana Soccer Association are named as codefendants in the complaint.

All three organizations, according to their bylaws, require prospective coaches to complete a background check before receiving approval to coach children. As early as 2006, Tudela faced charges related to sexual misconduct with a minor and sexual battery, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit also claims prior to sanctioning Tudela Futbol Club and allowing Tudela to coach, the Indiana Soccer Association received multiple communications from third-party individuals – both in person and in writing – expressing concerns about Tudela's behavior and fitness to be a coach for children.

The Courier & Press left messages with all three organizations and Tudela seeking comment.

Where the case goes from here

Osborne has sued the coach and all three soccer organizations, seeking unspecified damages for negligence, negligent hiring and retention practices and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Tudela is being sued for an additional count of intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"Tudela's sexual misconduct, described above, was extreme and outrageous," Osborne's attorneys wrote. "Tudela's infliction of extreme emotional distress led to Osborne dropping out of Indiana University and forgoing her athletic scholarship."

According to court records, the United States Soccer Federation, United States Youth Soccer Association, the Indiana Soccer Association and Tudela have been subpoenaed to testify in the case.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Former player sues national, state soccer groups over sex abuse