Dressage-News

AACHEN, Germany, July 2, 2022–The Ebeling family labeled as “baseless” allegations of sexual abuse by Benjamin Ebeling against a teenage student and accused the parents of failing to protect the girl.

News of the civil lawsuit filed in California two days ago has created widespread buzz at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany where Benjamin is competing on the USA Nations Cup team.

“The allegations are false and outrageous,” the family said in a statement. “The Ebelings lawyers will vigorously prosecute any claims they may have against the Plaintiff. They also will take all necessary and legal steps to prove that the claims made against them arise solely from corrupt motives.

“It is no accident that the filing of the civil complaint against the Ebelings occurred on the eve of dressage’s largest competition in Aachen, serving as final selection for the FEI Dressage World Championships.

“The Plaintiff and those supporting her are seeking to destroy a young man’s rising career for the sake of advancing others’ unwarranted gain. We believe that judges, juries and arbitrators now understand that lives should not be destroyed by sordid stories. That is why there will be no compromise in resolving this case.

“Ben has cooperated fully with both the Safe Sport investigation and the Ventura Sheriff’s Department. At the instruction of the investigators, the Ebelings have refrained from discussing this matter publicly. It should be noted that even though Plaintiff pursued criminal charges, and filed a complaint with Safe Sport, no criminal case was brought. Ben Ebeling continues to compete on the US Dressage Team.

“He will continue to give everything he has to make his country proud.”