New AYSO Lawsuit Alleges Abuse by Terrence Stevens

Apr 06, 2026

Lawsuit Alleges AYSO Ignored Decades of Molestation Complaints, Allowing Coach to Abuse Children in San Diego County

SAN DIEGO — April 6, 2026 — A man who was sexually abused as a child in El Cajon, California by his American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) soccer coach has filed a lawsuit against AYSO. Terrence Stevens has been criminally convicted of sexually molesting numerous children and is serving a 30-year prison sentence. Recently four other children who Stevens coached in Lompoc, California settled their lawsuit against AYSO and Santa Barbara County for $14 million.

The current lawsuit alleges AYSO was negligent in allowing Stevens to begin coaching in its program in El Cajon after he had a long history of molesting AYSO soccer players in the 1980s and early 1990s in Lompoc and of complaints surfacing there. The complaint details that throughout the 1980s and into 1991, Stevens was the subject of multiple criminal investigations for sexually molesting AYSO soccer players, and that AYSO officials and coaches long suspected Stevens was abusing children. According to the complaint, Stevens was criminally convicted after law enforcement officials witnessed Stevens masturbating while standing over a 14-year-old nude soccer player in a nature recreation area near Lompoc.

According to the lawsuit, Stevens was able to move to El Cajon in the mid-1990s after his conviction and immediately began coaching AYSO teams for more than a decade. His abuse of the Plaintiff in the current lawsuit began in 1999 when the boy was approximately 8 years old and stemmed from Stevens coaching AYSO teams. Stevens’ coaching career came to an end when he was caught on camera at his workplace sexually molesting another of his soccer players from El Cajon in 2008 after which he was criminally convicted of molesting that child and others in Lompoc.

The complaint alleges Stevens was able to move from Lompoc, California to El Cajon and continue to molest children because AYSO failed to properly screen volunteers and failed to notify those participating in its programs that anyone having suspicions that a coach or other volunteer might be molesting a child should report the suspicions to AYSO.

“Local police in Lompoc criminally investigated Stevens three times for sexually molesting his soccer players, and he was eventually convicted. Local AYSO officials and coaches in Lompoc long suspected Stevens of molestation, refusing to allow their children to be alone with him, but none appear to have notified AYSO of their concerns,” said Anthony DeMarco, the attorney representing the current Plaintiff and those who previously settled cases with AYSO.

According to the complaint, by the early 1980s, AYSO was becoming aware of many complaints each year that its coaches had sexually molested youth in its programs, but AYSO failed to take any steps for nearly two decades to try to prevent this abuse from occurring. “AYSO’s failure to have any policy encouraging concerns and complaints about suspected child abuse by its coaches to be reported to its national and regional governance, and its failure to conduct effective background screening, directly led to a known child-molesting coach, Terrence Stevens, being able to move on to his next community and set of vulnerable children,” DeMarco said.

The lawsuit alleges Stevens eventually began taking the boy to his work stocking military base grocery stores, where he would abuse the boy on base while at work. The lawsuit alleges the company where Stevens worked at the time, Dunham Smith, was negligent in allowing that abuse to occur.

Anthony M. DeMarco, Esq. will be available to speak to media. Press inquiries should be directed to [email protected] and via phone at (310) 927-9277. The court filed copy of the lawsuit can be downloaded below.

Anthony M. DeMarco, Esq. has specialized for more than 20 years in representing child sexual abuse victims in civil lawsuits against youth-serving organizations. He is the founder of The DeMarco Law Firm, Inc. in Monrovia, CA.

Timeline of Stevens’ Abuse

1978-1982
• Stevens begins coaching AYSO teams in Lompoc, focusing on boys aged 10-14 years old.

• Stevens begins grooming his AYSO players, driving them in his car around town and socializing with them at arcades, fast food, movies, and camping; He also begins providing them with pornography, alcohol, and drugs.

• Stevens begins hosting AYSO team players at his home for sleepovers.

• Stevens molests multiple minor victims in his car, at his home, and on trips to Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, and the Red Rock camping area.

• Multiple AYSO parents take notice of Stevens socializing off-field with his players. Several prohibit their sons from participating, yet they warn nobody else.

• Lompoc AYSO board discusses concerns about Stevens but takes no action.

1982
• Stevens is reported to Sheriff under suspicion of molesting young boys while Stevens is allegedly housesitting for a local couple. Sheriff simply fails to investigate or cross-report to Child Protective Services (CPS) as required by law.

1983-1985
• Stevens starts coaching Lompoc AYSO all-star teams and traveling with his minor players to tournaments.

• Stevens continues driving young players in his car, socializing with them off the field, hosting them at his house for parties and sleepovers.

• Stevens molests new minor victims.

• Stevens assistant coaches in AYSO become concerned about his off-field socialization with minors. Again they prohibit their sons from participating, but they warn nobody else.

~1985
• Stevens’ AYSO assistant coach arrives at Stevens’ house and immediately observes minor boys watching pornographic videos on VCR during a private soccer team party with no other parents present. The assistant coach leaves with his son and tells nobody.

• In a separate incident, Stevens is confronted by local police during a drug-fueled hot-tub party with minor soccer players at Stevens’ residence after receiving a report that a minor was running naked through the street. No charges are filed; no investigation is conducted.

• Stevens begins taking young soccer players to his workplace at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) and sexually molesting them onsite during his overnight shifts. His colleagues become concerned and report him to their supervisor. No action is taken.

1986-1987
• Stevens continues coaching AYSO teams, socializing with and molesting his young soccer players in his car, at his home, and on trips.

• Stevens continues hosting parties with pornography, alcohol, and drugs.

• Stevens continues taking young soccer players to his job at VAFB and molesting them.

• Stevens is confronted by police officers at the Red Rock camping area while skinny-dipping naked with a young AYSO player whom he was also molesting. No action is taken and Stevens is permitted to leave with the minor.

1988-1990
• Stevens continues to coach AYSO teams and socialize with his players off the field

• Stevens hosts late-night board game events at his home with some of his minor players and victims; An AYSO Lompoc board member attends some of these sessions with her kids and learns that some children will be sleeping at Stevens’ house after she departs. She takes no action and tells no one.

• AYSO team parents continue to harbor private concerns that Stevens’ behavior is inappropriate and suspicious for abuse.

• Stevens continues molesting minor victims at his home, in his car, and on trips.

• Complaints about Stevens at VAFB finally reach the Lompoc Sheriff who barely investigate and fail to contact CPS as required by law. The 12-year-old victim and Stevens admit to law enforcement that Stevens fondled the boy’s genitals, skin to skin, while in Stevens’ bedroom alone with the child.

1991

• Stevens is observed by Santa Barbara Sheriffs naked and masturbating over a 14-year-old soccer player at the Red Rock Camping area near Lompoc. Stevens is charged and convicted.

• Parent of an AYSO player learns of Stevens’ arrest at Red Rock and expresses concern to several AYSO volunteers including a board member. No action is taken.

1992-1993
• Stevens continues to coach AYSO teams and socialize with his players off the field in Lompoc.

1994
• Stevens is hired by Dunham and Smith; Relocates to El Cajon, CA (San Diego County).

• Stevens begins coaching AYSO soccer in San Diego County; AYSO officials in his new location are completely unaware of his prior decades of suspicious and criminal behavior because AYSO had inadequate policies in place at the time.

1998
• Stevens meets John Doe, the current plaintiff, and uses his role as an AYSO soccer coach to gain the trust of plaintiff and plaintiff’s parents.

1999

• Stevens begins molesting John Doe in his car to and from AYSO practices/games and at Stevens home.

• Stevens begins sneaking John Doe onto secure military bases while Stevens performs work for Dunham and Smith (D&S). Stevens molests John Doe on-site at some of these D&S work locations.

• Stevens invites John Doe to assist Stevens with his D&S work despite D&S’s clear policy that minors are prohibited from helping or performing any work for the company. Initially John Doe is paid by Stevens in candy, food, toys, and small amounts of cash.

2000-2003
• John Doe continues to play AYSO soccer on Stevens’ teams.

• Stevens continues to molest John Doe in connection with AYSO soccer and in connection with Stevens’ work at Dunham and Smith.

2004-2006
• John Doe stops playing soccer but continues to accompany Stevens to work and assist him with job responsibilities at D&S.

• Stevens begins coaching soccer for a new entity affiliated with US Club Soccer.

2008
• Stevens takes another soccer player from El Cajon across state lines to Arizona for a Dunham & Smith work trip and is observed molesting the minor at a work location that was under live video surveillance. Stevens is arrested and jailed for child sexual abuse and prepares to stand trial in AZ.

2010
• Stevens is convicted in AZ and sentenced to serve 3 years in prison.

2013
• Stevens is convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting other children.

2025
• AYSO and Santa Barbara County pay settlements totaling $14 million to 4 Stevens’ victims from Lompoc.