Tianna Madison won gold in the 4x100m relay at the London Olympics, and now the sprinter is being sued by her parents.
Jo Ann and Robert Madison filed a lawsuit on Thursday that alleges their daughter defamed them with false statements and allegations, according to The Chronicle-Telegram.
The Chronicle-Telegram reports the lawsuit alleges that Tianna Madison falsely accused her parents of mismanaging her money and allowing a boy who molested her to enter their home while their daughter was present.
Madison’s parents, sister, and niece flew to London to watch her compete in the Olympics and witnessed her gold medal-winning race. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported last month that Tianna had broken off contact with her family and did not provide a reason.
We were unable to locate statements online where Tianna defamed her parents (who really aren’t famous) in print. We did find an interview with CNN where Tianna described some of the difficulties in her life.
“I dealt with a bankruptcy; I had my home foreclosed, and these were things that happened and I was not honest with myself about why I was in that situation,” she told CNN.
“I had to deal with being molested in high school and what that did to my self-esteem and my ability to trust. I overcame this with the love and support of my husband,” she said.
There was no mention of her parents in either statement.
We’ve reached out to the attorney for Jo Ann and Robert Madison for clarification of their accusations. They’re seeking $50,000 in damages.
We have our doubts about the legitimacy of the charges; suing their daughter for alleged defamation pretty much tells us all we need to know about them as parents.
