Darrell Cochran and Andrew Ulmer reached a $6 million settlement with the United States Bowling Congress, the national governing body for the sport of bowling, as well as other bowling organizations.
Plaintiff Thomas “Tommie” McNeal, now 22 years old, alleges that he was sexually abused by his bowling coach, Ty Lee Treddenbarger. The abuse began in 2012, when Tommie was only 12 years old, and lasted until 2017. Treddenbarger was arrested in 2017 and subsequently pled guilty to federal and state criminal charges for the production and possession of child pornography and child molestation. He is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. For approximately two decades, Treddenbarger molested male youth bowlers he coached and traveled with during tournaments held in-state, out-of-state, and internationally. During this time, Treddenbarger served as a board member, association official, registered volunteer, and/or a youth director for the various bowling organizations.
The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of the State of Washington for King County. The other defendants in the case included the Greater Seattle USBC and Washington State USBC, which are the local and state associations chartered under USBC, respectively.