The lawsuit filed by Amanda Le targets "the individuals and corporate entities who let a known child rapist work as a youth swim coach, who supported him with infrastructure, position, and prestige for decades, and who allowed him full access to a never-ending cycle of young girls to prey upon," according to the suit. "Amanda Le was one of those girls."

Filed in US District Court in Massachusetts on Friday, the 33-page lawsuit accuses Joseph Bernal of sexual abuse. Bernal, a former swim coach at Fordham and Harvard, was part of the US coaching staff at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. 

He coached multiple Olympic medalists and world record holders and was inducted into the American Swim Coaches Hall of Fame in 2015, according to the lawsuit. Bernal founded the Bernal’s Gator Swim Club, an amateur swim club, and coached Le from 2006 to 2010. The lawsuit claims Bernal sexually abused Le from around 2008 to 2014.

In February 2016, USA Swimming permanently banned Bernal for abusing an unnamed "Athlete A," who the lawsuit identifies as Le. Bernal is listed on a USA Swimming website of individuals permanently suspended or ineligible for membership due to "sexual misconduct."

“USA Swimming is deeply committed to the safety and welfare of all its members,” stated the organisation's then-spokesman Scott Leightman in 2016, according to The Boston Globe. “The Safe Sport program’s mission is to increase awareness to reduce the risk of abuse in sport, and our organization has no tolerance for violations of our code of conduct.”

CNN has reached out to USA Swimming for comment on the lawsuit, as well as to an attorney for Bernal’s estate and other defendants named in the suit. Bernal passed away in October 2022, according to an obituary.

The lawsuit arises amidst numerous allegations of abuse and misconduct within national governing bodies overseeing elite youth sports like USA Swimming. For instance, in 2021, USA Gymnastics, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and their insurers agreed to a €386 million settlement with victims of Larry Nassar, the former Olympic doctor who sexually abused girls for decades.

According to the lawsuit, Le trained and competed with the Gator Swim Club of New England (BGSC-NE) from the age of 13 to 18. The lawsuit alleges that when she was 15 and Bernal was 60, he kissed her after training, and over the next few years, the two had an escalating sexual relationship.

Jon Little, Le’s attorney, told CNN there is a culture that permits this abuse to occur. “While what happened to her is sad, it’s far from uncommon,” Little stated. “People like Larry Nassar and Bernal, who produce Olympic medalists, as long as these guys produce medals and money, they can literally rape children. The system is designed to protect the producers. Getting rid of Nassar and Bernal does not change the problem.”

According to Little, Le filed the lawsuit to let kids know they are not alone. “She felt alone back then, but she doesn’t now,” Little said. Le experienced panic attacks during high school, believing they were due to swimming stress, unaware they stemmed from sexual abuse, per the lawsuit. It alleges she stayed overnight in Bernal's hotel room on team trips and skipped school for encounters at his home from junior to senior year. 

The suit claims Bernal paid for her abortion during college after impregnating her. Despite adults knowing, including a coach who saw her diary, no action was taken to protect her. The lawsuit accuses Bernal, USA Swimming, and others of negligence and violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.