Richmond Ballet wants former student’s $11.5 million lawsuit thrown out

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Richmond Ballet is trying to have a former student's $11.5 million lawsuit -- in which she claims that the company both allowed and encouraged an abusive culture -- thrown out due to how long it's been since the alleged abuse occurred.

In December 2025, a former dance student filed a lawsuit against the Richmond Ballet, accusing both current and former staff of contributing to a culture of "multi-year sexual, physical, and psychological abuse and exploitation," per court documents.

The student, who remained anonymous in her suit, said she experienced this firsthand from 2007 and 2015 -- but her lawyers claim the ballet has had a "dangerous culture" since 1990.

Some specific allegations within the lawsuit include a staff member forcing the student to maintain an amount of body fat that was "medically dangerous" in order to have a chance at lead roles, as well as a staff member putting his hands in the gap of her thighs and threatening her when she resisted.

The student said that, following this alleged abuse, she has experienced symptoms like persistent lower back pain, anorexia and severe anxiety. The lawsuit further claims that she has attempted suicide on multiple occasions.

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According to court filings obtained by 8News, on Friday, Feb. 20, the Richmond Ballet and one instructor named in the suit filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit based on the statute of limitations -- or because of how long ago the alleged abuse took place.

As of the time of reporting, a hearing for this case is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20 within the Richmond Circuit Court. It's unclear if a judge will make a decision on this filing prior to that date.

This is the third lawsuit in which a former student has claimed abuse within the Richmond Ballet in recent years.