High school cheerleading is a contact sport and therefore its participants cannot be sued for accidentally causing injuries, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled last week in a case the National Cheer Safety Foundation said was the first decision of its kind.
The court ruled that a former high school cheerleader cannot sue a teammate who failed to stop her fall while she was practicing a stunt. The court also said the injured cheerleader cannot sue her school district.
At issue in the case was whether cheerleaders qualify for immunity under a Wisconsin law that prevents participants in contact sports from suing each other for unintentional injuries. It does not spell out which sports are contact sports.
The seven members of the Supreme Court agreed Jan. 27 to overturn a lower court decision and find cheerleading a contact sport.
