
Victims of Chaotic Crowd Stampede at Dallas Cheer Competition File Lawsuit
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lawyers representing hundreds of people who were injured during a chaotic crowd stampede at a March cheerleading competition in Dallas have sued the organizer, Varsity Spirit, and facility management saying they failed to provide proper security at the event.
In their court filing, the attorneys say those failures led to parents and children being trampled and suffering broken bones, concussions, brain bleeds, and other physical injuries when participants and attendees went running from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, following reports of gunshots being fired. Many others, including children, continue to suffer from the emotional trauma they endured.
'This wasn't a little something. This was mass chaos,' said Ashlea Schwarz of Paul LLP in Kansas City, Mo., who represents the victims. 'You had parents separated from their kids for hours. You had a facility that had no plan for reunification in place. People had no idea where they would go to find their children.'
Video of attorney Ashlea Schwarz and victim Rachel Meyer
'It was pure chaos,' said Rachel Meyer of St. Louis, who attended the event along with her 9-year-old daughter. 'Nobody knew what was happening. Everybody was screaming, looking every way. There were people pushing other people. And the pure panic in everybody's voices – that's something I'll never forget.'
Records show there were approximately 25,000 participants – most under the age of 18 – who attended the 2025 National Cheerleaders Association All-Star National Championship event, from Feb. 28 to March 2. An estimated 38,000 spectators attended.
Police and event officials have said the crowd crush was ignited by the sound of metal poles crashing to the concrete floor of the convention center following a fight between two parents.
'It really doesn't matter what started the panic,' said Charla Aldous of Dallas-based Aldous Law. 'What matters is the chaos and crowd crush happened because Varsity and the convention center were not prepared. And that resulted in the injuries these people suffered.'
The lawsuit details injuries suffered by attendees from Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. They include a woman knocked unconscious during the stampede who suffered a series of brain bleeds; a mother who was slammed face-first into the concrete and was so severely hurt that her young daughter thought her mom had been fatally shot; and an event participant suffering from a concussion who sheltered alone under tractor-trailers outside the convention center.
Varsity Brands is the parent company of Varsity Spirit, and is headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas.
The lawsuit is Albold, et al. v. Varsity Spirit LLC et al., No. CC-25-04400-C in Dallas County Court at Law No. 3.
About Paul LLP
Paul LLP is a Kansas City, Missouri-based trial firm focused on complex commercial and consumer litigation involving the prosecution of class and mass actions, frequently leading multi-faceted, nationwide teams of co-counsel in complex litigation. Learn more about the firm at https://paulllp.com/.
About Aldous Law
Aldous Law specializes in high-stakes personal injury litigation, including wrongful death, trucking collisions, medical malpractice, products liability and sexual assault cases. Learn more about the Dallas-based firm at https://www.aldouslaw.com/.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
25 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren pays nearly $2.3M for Lake Forest mansion
In a move sure to lend further credence to the view that the Chicago Bears will build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, Kevin Warren, the team's president and CEO, in May paid $2.25 million for a five-bedroom, 8,725-square-foot shingle-style mansion in Lake Forest. Warren, 61, became the Bears' president and CEO in January 2023 after serving for more than three years as the commissioner of the Rosemont-based Big Ten conference. During his time overseeing the Big Ten, Warren first rented a 21st-floor condo in a building on Lake Shore Drive in Streeterville, and then in 2023, he and his wife, Greta, paid $1.75 million for a three-bedroom, 2,547-square-foot condominium on the 13th floor of the same high-rise. Since June 2021, the Bears have been known to be considering locations for a new stadium, including building a new arena in Arlington Heights on the 326-acre site of the former Arlington Park racetrack — land that the team purchased in 2023. Warren soon emerged as an enthusiastic proponent of the idea of a new stadium on Chicago's lakefront. In April, Warren told reporters that the team had shifted from solely pursuing building a new stadium downtown to considering both downtown and Arlington Heights. 'The focus now is both downtown and Arlington Heights,' Warren said in April. 'One thing I have said before is that these are not linear processes or projects. They take time.' Then, in May, the Tribune broke the news that the team's focus had moved once again, this time to Arlington Heights exclusively. Warren's decision to buy a suburban home is sure to spark speculation that the team now is near-certain to build in Arlington Heights, although Warren's new house also is close to the Bears' Halas Hall headquarters and training complex in Lake Forest. The house Warren purchased has a wraparound deck, a new cedar shake roof, a great room with a 19-foot alder wood ceiling and a Lannon stone fireplace, and a kitchen with high-end appliances, a center island and a breakfast bar. Other features include a private office with a fireplace and and a first-floor primary bedroom suite with a bathroom that has dual vanities and heated stone floors. Downstairs, the lower level has a family room opening to a stone patio, a guest bedroom suite and an exercise room. With Warren now having purchased a place in the northern suburbs, he joins several of his colleagues, including Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who paid $2.077 million in 2023 for a 5,200-square-foot house in Lincolnshire. Recently hired head coach Ben Johnson is not known to have bought a house here yet. The sellers lost money on the Lake Forest mansion. They paid $2.39 million for it in 2015, and they first listed it in 2023 for $2.495 million. They cut their asking price in April 2024 to $2.4 million, and they signed a deal in April with Warren, who closed on the purchase in May through an opaque land trust that masks his identity. The mansion had a $35,839 property tax bill in the 2024 tax year. It also has $295-a-month homeowners association dues. Real estate agent Annie Royster Lenzke, who represented Warren in his purchase, did not respond to a request for comment. Her colleague Dawn McKenna also did not respond to a request for comment.


Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton beginning his rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton began a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on Tuesday night, though New York manager Aaron Boone said that it was too early to tell when the slugger might return to the big leagues. Stanton has missed the entire season because of severe tendon injuries to both of his elbows. But he has been ramping up his work at the Yankees' player development complex and Boone was optimistic the rehab assignment will not be long. 'He's playing tonight. Probably play tomorrow. And then we'll see about Thursday, if he plays again or what we want to do through the weekend,' Boone said before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the Royals. 'Just kind of taking these two-day increments,' Boone said. The 35-year-old Stanton only appeared in 114 games last season, but he hit .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs. He was at his best in the playoffs, when he hit seven homers over 14 games and was voted the MVP of the AL Championship Series. 'For him, it's just getting his body built up and him being in a position to where he knows he's had enough at-bats and enough reps to be game-ready, to be season-ready,' Boone said. 'And he's had a pretty big ramp-up. He's had a lot of at-bats already, even going into his rehab start tonight. So, just making sure he's had the necessary reps and feels really good.' In other injury news, right-hander Marcus Stroman also is expected to make a rehab appearance for Somerset on Wednesday as he works his way back from left knee inflammation that has sidelined him since a start April 11 against the Giants. Jake Cousins was pulled off his rehab assignment after the right-hander felt something amiss in his right elbow. Cousins, who has been dealing with a strained right forearm, underwent an MRI exam, Boone said, and the plan was to visit with Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad in the hopes of determining exactly what went wrong. The reliever made six appearances for New York in the playoffs last season. 'I mean, considering he was into his rehab and build-up and now to feel something with the elbow, it's concerning,' Boone said. 'But again, I don't want to overreact. We don't have any information.' ___ AP MLB:

Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton beginning his rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton began a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on Tuesday night, though New York manager Aaron Boone said that it was too early to tell when the slugger might return to the big leagues. Stanton has missed the entire season because of severe tendon injuries to both of his elbows. But he has been ramping up his work at the Yankees' player development complex and Boone was optimistic the rehab assignment will not be long. 'He's playing tonight. Probably play tomorrow. And then we'll see about Thursday, if he plays again or what we want to do through the weekend,' Boone said before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the Royals. 'Just kind of taking these two-day increments,' Boone said. The 35-year-old Stanton only appeared in 114 games last season, but he hit .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs. He was at his best in the playoffs, when he hit seven homers over 14 games and was voted the MVP of the AL Championship Series. 'For him, it's just getting his body built up and him being in a position to where he knows he's had enough at-bats and enough reps to be game-ready, to be season-ready,' Boone said. 'And he's had a pretty big ramp-up. He's had a lot of at-bats already, even going into his rehab start tonight. So, just making sure he's had the necessary reps and feels really good.' In other injury news, right-hander Marcus Stroman also is expected to make a rehab appearance for Somerset on Wednesday as he works his way back from left knee inflammation that has sidelined him since a start April 11 against the Giants. Jake Cousins was pulled off his rehab assignment after the right-hander felt something amiss in his right elbow. Cousins, who has been dealing with a strained right forearm, underwent an MRI exam, Boone said, and the plan was to visit with Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad in the hopes of determining exactly what went wrong. The reliever made six appearances for New York in the playoffs last season. 'I mean, considering he was into his rehab and build-up and now to feel something with the elbow, it's concerning,' Boone said. 'But again, I don't want to overreact. We don't have any information.' ___ AP MLB: