UK hires public relations firm to respond to sex abuse lawsuit involving swim coach

John Cheves
·3 min read

The University of Kentucky has hired a public relations firm that offers “crisis communications” to respond to a lawsuit accusing it of “complicity and deliberate indifference” to sexual abuse allegedly committed by former head swim coach Lars Jorgensen.

C2 Strategic Communications, based in Louisville, was retained by the law firm of Sturgill, Turner, Barker and Moloney, which will represent UK in the litigation, the school’s executive vice president, Eric Monday, told the Herald-Leader this week in response to a Herald-Leader Open Records Act request.

Monday said UK currently has no contract with the law firm for this particular case. The university has not paid any fees yet because the lawsuit is less than a month old, he said.

Sturgill, Turner has experience dealing with Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education, and it has represented UK in the past, he said.

UK spokeswoman Kristi Willett declined to say exactly what kinds of public relations services C2 will provide related to the Jorgensen lawsuit.

“C2 Strategic Communications is working with the university in a consultation role for communications,” Willett said in a brief written statement.

C2 founder and chief executive officer Chad Carlton referred questions about his firm’s assignment to UK. Carlton is a former Lexington Herald-Leader reporter who later worked as spokesman for Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.

On its website, C2 gives examples of its past crisis communications work that includes crafting a positive media message for Treyton Oak Towers, a high-rise Louisville nursing home where residents were sickened and killed as COVID-19 swept through in 2020. One employee was placed on house arrest for refusing to self-quarantine after she tested positive for the virus.

“C2 Strategic worked closely with the executive team and staff to secure media interviews and place stories that showcased the ‘heroes who work and live’ at Treyton Oak Towers,” the firm says on its website. “Additionally, C2 created a series of video interviews with members of the Treyton Oak team to highlight their resiliency, dedication and care for residents.”

C2 says it also did work during the pandemic for Hillcreek Rehabilitation and Care, a Louisville nursing home later shut down by the federal government after inspectors uncovered many serious problems, including a rodent infestation, filthy living conditions and a general lack of care for the elderly and ailing residents.

In a federal lawsuit filed April 12, two former UK swimmers say Jorgensen created a “toxic, sexually hostile environment” inside UK’s swim program by harassing, groping and raping them and a third swimmer on multiple occasions over a period of years.

The suit names UK and Jorgensen as defendants, as well as UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and former head swim coach Gary Conelly, who initially hired Jorgensen as his associate swim coach.

According to the suit, several different people warned UK about Jorgensen’s predatory behavior toward young woman in his swim programs, starting the day after UK hired him in 2012, but UK did not adequately investigate the claims.

Jorgensen quit UK last summer following concerns over NCAA training violations. He has denied the sexual abuse allegations contained in the lawsuit. Through his attorney, Jorgensen said he and his two accusers — who later became assistant swim coaches at UK — had consensual dating relationships.

Former UK swim coach says he dated his young accusers. If so, was that ethical?

He warned UK about its new swim coach 12 years before a sex abuse lawsuit went public

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • These companies have laid off Canadian workers in 2024

    TORONTO — Canadians are continuing to be laid off as part of a wave of job cuts that began in 2023 as companies assessed their operations after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic passed. Tech companies, retailers and more have all begun shedding members of their workforce in a bid to navigate the economic downturn. These are some of the companies which have so far laid off Canadian workers in 2024: BCE Inc.: The Montreal-based telecommunications giant said on Feb. 8 it was cutting 4,800 jobs "a

  • Over a dozen teens were sexually abused at ‘sinister’ detention center, lawsuit says

    An attorney said he has spoken to “20 to 30 times more people” who say they were abused at the Michigan facility.

  • Chinese EV Giants Hammered by Biden Tariff Are Welcome in Brazil

    (Bloomberg) -- Shut out of US markets and under fire in Europe, China’s electric-car makers are zeroing in on the countries where they’re welcome. One of the big ones is Brazil.Most Read from BloombergUS Inflation Data Was Accidentally Released 30 Minutes EarlyWith a BlackRock CEO, $9 Trillion Vanguard Braces for TurbulencePutin and Xi Vow to Step Up Fight to Counter US ‘Containment’Jamie Dimon Sees ‘Lot of Inflationary Forces in Front of Us’Dow Average Touches 40,000 Before Pulling Back: Market

  • Wildfires could impact over half of Canada's oil sands output - report

    Canada is one of the biggest oil sands producers in the world. Companies like Suncor Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and Imperial Oil have oil sands projects within 150 km of Fort McMurry, an oil sands hub in Northern Alberta, with many workers living in the city.

  • Siemens Energy boss says there can be no energy transition without China

    Europe's energy sector relies too much on China to entertain the idea of de-risking, the CEO of Siemens Energy said, reflecting the dilemma of an industry in need of supplies from the world's No.2 economy - but not the competition that comes with it. The comments by Christian Bruch come as global trade tensions with China are heating up, with the U.S. raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles this week and the European Union looking into similar steps to protect local players from unfair competition. Meantime, the EU has launched an investigation into Chinese wind turbine makers and whether they benefit from subsidies in their efforts to undercut the pricing of Western companies like Vestas, Nordex and GE Vernova.

  • 10 Signs You’ll Retire Comfortably in the Middle Class

    Defining the middle class is tricky. According to the Pew Research Center, you could be considered "middle class" if your household income is two-thirds to double the national median income -- so...

  • Cadillac aims high with new limited build programs

    GM's Artisan Innovation Center at its Warren, Michigan, Tech Center is home to a team of skilled tradespeople who hand-build cars from the ground up.

  • McDonald's plans $5 US meal deal next month to counter customer frustration over high prices

    McDonald’s plans to introduce a $5 meal deal in the U.S. next month to counter slowing sales and customers’ frustration with high prices. The deal would let customers get a four-piece McNugget, small fries, a small drink and either a McDouble burger or a McChicken sandwich for $5 in most areas, according to a person familiar with the deal who wasn’t authorized to discuss its details. The month-long deal is scheduled to begin June 25 and will be advertised nationally. Some stores with higher cost

  • China's Nio aims to launch one new car model per year under Onvo brand

    SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio said on Thursday it would launch one new model per year under its lower-priced Onvo brand and price them similarly to gasoline vehicles, as the firm expands its lineups to family cars in the country's overcrowded auto market. The announcement came a day after the company unveiled the Onvo L60 SUV with a sticker price starting from 219,900 yuan ($30,476), 12% below the price of Tesla's Model Y which starts at 249,900 yuan in China. Nio said on Thursday it would have a second Onvo model targeting larger families coming up next and expected the newly launched brand to positively contribute to its overall profitability when monthly sales reach 20,000 units.

  • SoftBank Corp aims to help call centre workers by 'softening' angry customer calls with AI

    Dealing with irate customers can be extremely stressful for call centre workers but Japan's SoftBank Corp thinks it has a solution: artificial intelligence-enabled software that softens the tone of customers' voices. "We are working on the development of a solution that can convert the customer's voice into a calm conversational tone and deliver it to workers using AI-enabled emotion recognition and voice processing technology," SoftBank said in a press release on Wednesday. "With this solution, we aim for good relationships with customers to be maintained through sound communication while ensuring the psychological welfare of workers."

  • Retirement Savings: How Much Retirees Should Keep in Cash — On Hand and in the Bank

    One of the biggest concerns for most retirees is whether they will have enough money to see them through retirement. Many times, retirement money may be placed into accounts that are not easily...

  • Indigenous consultant accuses NHL's Blackhawks of fraud, sexual harassment

    A consultant the Chicago Blackhawks hired to improve relationships with American Indian tribes has filed a lawsuit accusing the team, its charity foundation and its CEO of fraud, breach of contract and sexual harassment. Nina Sanders filed the civil action late Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. Wirtz promised that he would create positions for American Indians, buy land to give to the Sac and Fox Nation and change the team's logo if she decided to accept the job, according to the lawsuit.

  • Modesto ice cream factory set to close

    Sources tell KCRA 3 a Modesto ice cream factory is set to close, which could leads to hundreds of layoffs

  • EU launches trade investigation into Chinese tinplate steel

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission has launched an investigation into flat-rolled products of iron or steel plated or coated with tin from China to assess whether imports into the European Union are sold at excessively low prices. The Commission, which oversees trade policy in the 27-nation EU, launched the anti-dumping investigation following a complaint from European steel association Eurofer, the EU official journal said on Thursday. The investigation, along with another launched on Thursday into wood flooring imports, is the latest in a string of EU trade and subsidy probes into Chinese exports and the operations of Chinese companies in Europe, most notably an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles.

  • Ford asks suppliers to cut costs in push to turn EV business profitable, memo says

    Ford Motor Co has asked its electric-vehicle suppliers to reduce costs in an attempt to support profitability, saying "everything is on the table," according to a company memo seen by Reuters. Discounts and sharp price cuts from competitors, including EV market leader Tesla, to sustain consumer demand amid high interest rates have forced Ford to reciprocate. "To ensure affordability, it is of paramount importance that our portfolio achieves further levels of material cost efficiency."

  • Serial Gen-Z job hopper says staying in a role for "stability" is "miserable"

    A Gen-Z job hopper who has changed roles 17 times says older generations want her to be "miserable" by staying in a job for "stability". Mich Marie, 26, has job hopped since she had her first job in a supermarket aged 14. She spent her school years in different part-time roles such as in retail and restaurants. After graduating with a degree in human services from New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, Mich went on to try different positions such as a case manager, window install assistant and care coordinator. Mich's longest role was a direct support professional which she held for two years and she tends to stay in her jobs for no longer than six months.

  • Fears of German 'de-industrialisation' may be overblown - for now

    High energy costs, weak global demand, a disruptive shift towards net-zero economies, and growing competition from China are raising existential questions for Germany's economic model. CEOs and business lobbies say its historically strong industrial base is close to cracking, a "de-industrialisation" risk often accompanied by calls for government support. Monthly industrial production data give the most obvious snapshots of how the sector is doing, and they show a clear decline since the end of 2017, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and now the Ukraine war.

  • Google seeks non-jury trial in US ad tech lawsuit, filing says

    Alphabet's Google in a court filing on Thursday is seeking a non-jury trial in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit accusing the advertising and search giant of anticompetitive practices in the online advertising marketplace. The Justice Department, which filed the advertising lawsuit in January 2023, alleged the company has abused its dominance of the digital advertising business and argued that it should be forced to sell its ad manager suite. Google said the Justice Department's request for a jury trial breaks "with all historical precedent" and noted the department itself has said the technical nature might be difficult for a prospective juror to understand.

  • More women doctors in ORs could lead to better patient outcomes, new study suggests

    More female surgeons and anesthesiologists in operating rooms could result in better outcomes for patients, new Canadian research suggests.

  • Judge quickly denies request to discard $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case

    CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The judge who oversaw a landmark trial about New Hampshire’s youth detention center has refused to discard the $38 million verdict, saying the facility’s leadership “either knew and didn’t care or didn’t care to learn the truth” about endemic physical and sexual abuse. A jury earlier this month sided with David Meehan, who alleged he was repeatedly raped, beaten and held in solitary confinement at the Youth Development Center in the 1990s. The attorney general’s office is se