THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, October 5, 1996             TAG: 9610050205
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   49 lines

GYMSTRADA CASE GROWS: A RESPONSE, CRIMINAL CHARGES MOTHERS ALLEGE THEIR DAUGHTERS WERE ASSAULTED BY THE SCHOOL'S COACHES.<

The feud between Gymstrada Gymnastic School and some mothers who sued the school this summer has escalated with a counterclaim and criminal charges.

Three mothers - Nancy Moore, Cherri Davis and Regina Petrin - filed suit in August against the school, its owner and three coaches. They claim that their daughters, now 11 to 13 years old, were emotionally and physically abused from 1994 to 1996. Each mother seeks $550,000 in damages.

Since then, there have been two new developments in court.

First, the school filed a counterclaim against the mothers for $100,000. The counterclaim accuses the mothers of maliciously injuring the school's reputation and business, and trying to recruit others to help injure the school. Gymstrada also asked the court to throw out the mothers' lawsuit as legally insufficient.

Now, two of the girls have filed criminal charges of misdemeanor assault against three coaches - James Walker, Deena Baker-Walker and Margie Cunningham - who are also defendants in the civil lawsuit.

Gymstrada's attorney, Allen W. Beasley, questioned the timing of the criminal charges. The girls filed charges with a magistrate last week.

``I find it interesting that they decided to file these charges so many months after the supposed incidents occurred,'' Beasley said. ``I find it interesting that they decided to file these only after they filed the civil claims.''

Beasley said he thinks the criminal charges were in response to criticism of the lawsuit by others in the local gymnastic community.

``Greed is the only thing driving them to press the civil case,'' Beasley said.

The mothers, however, said they don't care about money. They said they want to stop dangerous practices at the school. They said the criminal charges were brought after a suggestion by the girls' psychologist.

``The doctor felt it would be good for them (the girls) to talk to a magistrate. It would make them feel they had control over what happened to them,'' Nancy Moore said.

The girls claim that coaches pinched, slapped, grabbed or dragged them. One girl claims a coach grabbed her face, in a room alone, and pushed her into a wall.

Beasley said the criminal cases are set to be heard in November in juvenile court and may be closed to the public and press.

There is no hearing date yet for the civil case.

KEYWORDS: LAWSUIT GYMSTRADA CRIMINAL CHARGES ASSAULT by CNB