The lawsuits were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court a year after Morris, now 82 years old who lives in Port Saint Lucie, Florida was permanently banned from equestrian sport after the U.S. Center for Safe Sport reported an investigation found “sexual misconduct involving a minor” decades ago. Filing of the lawsuits was first reported by The New York Times.
The Times said that plaintiffs in the lawsuits were two of the men who initially made allegations to SafeSport against the former jumper coach for the United States and then Brazil that led to the lifetime ban. An appeal by Morris against the finding was dismissed.
The plaintiffs in the Morris lawsuits, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, are two of the men who initially came forward to SafeSport, prompting its investigation that led to the barring of Morris, who won a silver medal as a show jumper in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and went on to coach the United States Olympic team and most recently the Brazilian team.