A well-known ballerina and her teacher husband have been accused of restraining then sexually abusing their former protégé in a gun-filled room.
Sage Humphries and one other skilled dancer, Gina Menichino, on July 28 filed a civil criticism in US District Court docket in Nevada, accusing Mitchell Taylor Button of sexually and emotionally abusing the 2 girls years aside.
Button is the husband of Dusty Button, Boston Ballet’s former principal dancer who now has a big following on social media. She has additionally been named as an alleged predator in Humphries and Menichino’s go well with, however shouldn’t be listed as a defendant.
Former Boston Ballet star Dusty Button (left) has been implicated in a federal lawsuit accusing her husband, Mitchell Button (proper), of sexually abusing younger dancers, together with a toddler
Boston Ballet dancer Sage Humphries (left) {and professional} dancer Gina Menichino (proper) collectively filed the lawsuit in opposition to Mitchell Button
Humphries, now 23, claims Mitchell repeatedly sexually assaulted her in 2017, together with with the assistance of his prima ballerina spouse. They deny her claims
The lawsuit alleges that on a number of events, Dusty held down Humphries so she couldn’t transfer whereas her husband violently penetrated the younger lady with out her consent, together with in her sleep.
In a single occasion, as alleged within the criticism, the Buttons ordered Humphries to don a head-to-toe latex go well with, tied her to a desk in a room full of weapons and sexually assaulted her as she screamed and cried.
By means of their lawyer, the Buttons denied the allegations detailed within the lawsuit, calling them ‘false and fraudulent.’
Humphries, now 23, instructed the New York Times in an interview that the Buttons had ‘full management’ over her whereas she was a younger dancer at Boston Ballet II, the corporate’s apprenticeship program.
The criticism states that Humphries, who was new to Boston and had no household or mates within the metropolis on the time, first met Dusty Button, then a world-renowned prima ballerina, and her dance teacher husband in 2016.
The Buttons befriended the younger dancer in early 2017 and shortly started inviting her over to their house, the place Humphries was anticipated to drink closely, in keeping with the criticism.
The 19-page federal criticism doesn’t title Dusty as a defendant however as a ‘non-party co-conspirator’ and implicates her in a number of the alleged abuse focusing on Humphries.
It’s alleged within the explosive criticism that ‘the Buttons abuse their positions of energy and status within the dance group to garner the loyalty and belief of younger dancers. The Buttons then exploit these relationships to coerce sexual acts by the use of power and fraud.’
Dusty, pictured furthest left, departed from the Boston Ballet in 2017. She allegedly held down Humphries whereas her husband sexually penetrated her with out the girl’s consent
Humphries claims within the lawsuit the Buttons had full management over her and remoted her from household and mates. She was compelled to dwell with the couple, who collectively would sexually abuse her, in keeping with the criticism
‘The Buttons additionally started to insist that Sage sleep at their condo frequently,’ the lawsuit alleges. ‘The Buttons instructed Sage to put on their garments and elegance her hair to match Dusty’s hair.’
Mitchell allegedly instructed Humphries that if she agreed at hand over management of her social media accounts to him, together with her passwords and entry to her textual content messages and e mail, he would make her as well-known as his spouse.
‘If Sage ever tried to distance herself or disobey the Buttons, they might threaten to revoke their monetary help and sabotage her profession,’ the criticism alleges.
One night, the Buttons and Humphries have been mendacity on a mattress collectively watching a film when Mitchell sexually assaulted his younger protégé after his spouse dozed off, in keeping with the criticism.
‘Any time Sage tried to develop different friendships and spend time other than the Buttons, the Buttons would turn out to be enraged,’ the lawsuit alleges.
On one event, Mitchell allegedly compelled Humphries to preform oral intercourse on him as punishment for having lunch with a bunch of girls.
The lawsuit alleges that the Buttons insisted that Humphries ‘prioritize them over her household,’ and even joined her on a visit to California to go to her mother and father ‘she she couldn’t be alone together with her household.’
Humphries was finally rescued by her mother and father, who flew her house to California
After returning to Boston, the sexual abuse intensified, in keeping with the lawsuit.
‘One night, Sage went to the Buttons’ condo after rehearsal, and the condo was utterly darkish,’ reads the criticism. ‘Dusty and [Mitchell] demanded that Sage placed on a spandex go well with that lined her total physique, together with her mouth and eyes, and left solely her nostril and ears uncovered.
‘Dusty led Sage right into a room of the Buttons’ condo that had an arsenal of weapons hanging on the wall. Sage instructed the Buttons she was scared. They instructed her to lie down on a desk, and so they tied up her legs and arms so she was unable to maneuver. The Buttons then sexually assaulted Sage.
‘Sage started sobbing and screaming, begging the Buttons to untie her. The Buttons instructed her she was being weak and silly.’
After that incident, Mitchell allegedly started having intercourse along with his protégé ‘every time he happy,’ together with typically whereas she was sleeping.
‘[Mitchell] frequently shoved Sage to the bottom or on the mattress and violently penetrated her with out her consent,’ claims the criticism. ‘On a number of events, Dusty held Sage down whereas [Mitchell] penetrated her in order that Sage couldn’t transfer.’
Throughout intercourse, the dance teacher allegedly would ‘choke, slap and pull’ Humphries’ hair, leaving her lined in bruises.
‘The Buttons additionally frequently used painful intercourse toys on Sage and would tie Sage up in an effort to have intercourse together with her,’ the lawsuit contends. ‘Sage by no means consented to those violent intercourse acts.’
By Could 2017, the Buttons allegedly compelled Humphries to dwell with them full time. They didn’t cost her lease and paid for her meals and private bills, rendering her financially depending on the couple.
‘If Sage ever tried to distance herself or disobey the Buttons, they might threaten to revoke their monetary help and sabotage her profession,’ in keeping with the lawsuit.
Ultimately, Humphries’ mother and father turned involved together with her dwelling scenario and compelled her to return house.
Mitchell continued speaking with Humphries on Snapchat. At one level, he allegedly instructed her he wished to rape the girl and depart her to die in a warehouse, and likewise threatened to journey to California and slit her father’s throat.
In August 2017, Humphries sought and acquired abuse safety orders in opposition to the Buttons.
The Boston Ballet has issued a press release expressing help for Humphries, who remains to be a part of the corporate.
‘Boston Ballet helps Sage Humphries who’s bravely coming ahead, sharing her expertise to guard others, and looking for accountability and justice,’ the assertion learn.
In response to the dance firm, Dusty Button’s employment with the Boston Ballet was terminated in Could 2017.
The federal lawsuit additionally particulars allegations of sexual abuse from a decade in the past focusing on Mitchell Button’s former dance scholar Gina Menichino.
In response to the criticism, Button, who on the time glided by the title Taylor Moore and labored as a dance teacher at a studio in Tampa, Florida, started grooming Menichino for abuse when she was 13 years outdated and he was 25.
‘Taylor took a particular curiosity in Gina and would single her out for particular consideration and alternatives in dance class, comparable to permitting her to assistant educate his dance courses,’ alleges the criticism.
Menichino, a dancer from New Jersey, claims that when she was 13 years outdated and attending a dance studio in Florida in 2010, Mitchell Button sexually assaulted her
On two separate events in 2010, Button allegedly sexually assaulted Menichino whereas the 2 have been sharing a blanket whereas watching a film with different dance college students.
Button then started frequently ‘sexting’ the younger lady, together with sending her shirtless photographs of himself and movies displaying him pleasuring himself, the go well with claims. He additionally solicited comparable content material from Menichino.
‘Taylor used his place of energy and authority over Gina to power her to conform along with his sexual calls for,’ in keeping with the lawsuit.
If the 13-year-old resisted her trainer’s sexual advances, Button allegedly threatened to harm her dance profession.
‘The entire sport was to maintain him blissful,’ Menichino, now 25, instructed the Instances. ‘Don’t get him offended, or I used to be unworthy and I’d lose my dance profession.’
Ken Swartz, the lawyer representing the Buttons, mentioned in a press release to the paper that his purchasers ‘categorically deny these baseless claims and so they look ahead to the chance by way of court docket proceedings to disprove all the plaintiffs’ false and fraudulent allegations.’
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