Dallas cheer competition evacuation victims sue Varsity Spirit, Kay Bailey Hutchison Center
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NCA evacuation: Fight causes panic in Dallas
A fight at the Dallas Convention Center led to a panic at the NCA cheer competition happening inside. Though there was no active shooter as some feared, it was still a scary moment for many families who traveled to Dallas for the competition. FOX 4's Amelia Jones talked to some of those families.
DALLAS - Several of the people who were hurt evacuating the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas during the 2025 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) All-Star National Championship event have filed a lawsuit.
Dallas Cheer Competition Lawsuit
What's new:
Lawyers at Paul LLP in Kansas City, Mo. and Aldous Law in Dallas filed the lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of people who claim they were injured in a chaotic evacuation during the spring competition.
The suit accuses the event’s organizer, Varsity Spirit, and the convention center’s management of failing to provide proper security.
It alleges the victims were trampled and suffered broken bones, concussions, brain bleeds, and other physical injuries while trying to run to safety after hearing what sounded like gunfire.
Many of the victims, including children, are still suffering from "emotional trauma," the lawyers claim.
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What they're saying:
"This wasn’t a little something. This was mass chaos," said Ashlea Schwarz of Paul LLP in Kansas City, Mo., who represents the victims. "You had parents separated from their kids for hours. You had a facility that had no plan for reunification in place. People had no idea where they would go to find their children."
"It was pure chaos," said Rachel Meyer of St. Louis, who attended the event along with her 9-year-old daughter. "Nobody knew what was happening. Everybody was screaming, looking every way. There were people pushing other people. And the pure panic in everybody’s voices – that’s something I’ll never forget."
Witnesses describe chaotic scene at cheer competition
Thousands of cheerleaders and their families experienced a chaotic scene at the Downtown Dallas convention center this weekend. People ran out during the competition, fearful that there was an active shooter.
Dallas police ultimately determined it was the sound of metal poles crashing to the concrete floor that caused the crowd to panic. However, the lawyers said the event organizer and the convention center management weren’t prepared.
"It really doesn’t matter what started the panic," said Charla Aldous of Dallas-based Aldous Law. "What matters is the chaos and crowd crush happened because Varsity and the convention center were not prepared. And that resulted in the injuries these people suffered."
What Happened at the 2025 NCA All-Star National Championship?
The backstory:
A fight between two people during the 2025 competition led to mass panic and the evacuation of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on March 1.
Police said the fight knocked over multiple poles, creating loud noises that were initially mistaken for gunshots. The confusion led to a stampede as people rushed to flee the venue.
Ten people were injured during the evacuation, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. The injuries ranged from bumps and bruises to broken bones.
The incident prompted NCA officials to cancel the remainder of Saturday’s competition, but events resumed the following day.
Videos of the chaotic scene quickly spread on social media.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a news release from Paul LLP in Kansas City, Mo. and Aldous Law in Dallas. Details about what happened are from previous FOX 4 coverage.