Heaton, who isn’t named as a defendant, is among the instructors described in a class-action suit filed Sunday in Indianapolis federal court against USA Diving, the sport’s governing body.
The lawsuit claims the athletes at Ripfest Diving, a camp for competitive divers, complained in 2015 that Heaton was soliciting them for the photos and sending them inappropriate pictures. The women say program officials dismissed the complaints at the time.
Harvard spokeswoman Rachel Dane said the university was unaware of the allegations when it hired Heaton in August.
Heaton didn’t immediately comment, and USA Diving and Ripfest organizers, the primary defendants, also didn’t respond to emails seeking comment, according to AP and WBNS-TV.
The Indiana lawsuit says USA Diving and Ripfest didn't do enough to protect divers from former coach Johel Ramirez Suarez, who pleaded guilty to three counts of battery last month. The suit accuses organizers of Ripfest, including owner and 2008 U.S. Olympic Diving head coach John Wingfield, of creating a culture that "tolerated sexual harassment, objectification, assault and abuse."
Heaton graduated from Miami University in 2009, and is a former assistant coach with the Ohio State Diving Club.
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