USA Badminton, the sport's national governing body, secretly paid $1 million to settle a dispute with a former employee who says he was terminated in retaliation for reporting allegations of sexual abuse by a prominent coach, according to a confidential agreement obtained by ESPN and ABC News.
Alistair Casey, who previously served as the federation's chief of staff and SafeSport compliance officer, has alleged that in 2021 USA Badminton's CEO Linda French and its general counsel Jon Little pressured him not to report recently resurfaced older allegations of sexual abuse to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the Olympic Movement's sexual misconduct watchdog. When he filed a report anyway, Casey alleged he was harassed and ultimately fired.
The terms of the settlement are "strictly confidential," but ESPN and ABC News obtained a copy of the agreement -- dated January 4 and 5, 2023 -- bearing the signatures of Casey, French and Kenneth Wong, who until recently served as the chairman of USA Badminton's Board of Directors.
The federation has been engulfed in a series of disputes and inquiries since Casey's allegations spilled into public view in 2021. According to the agreement, the settlement "does not constitute an admission of liability." It was reached "solely for the purpose of resolving any and all controversies and disputes."
In response to questions from ESPN and ABC News, Casey declined to comment. Ryan Saba, an attorney for Casey, issued a brief statement that mirrored...
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