Parents raise safety issues, get hearing
A new twist in Moceanu case
By RON NISSIMOV
Copyright 1998 Houston Chronicle
The parents of Olympic gold-medal gymnast
Dominique Moceanu asked Monday that an emergency court hearing be
held to determine if she is safe.
Dumitru and Camelia Moceanu
claim Dominique's court-appointed attorney has left their daughter under
the influence of an undocumented immigrant and two men of questionable
motives who are harming her and her career.
The hearing has been scheduled
for Wednesday. The three people who have been helping her hide
since she ran away Oct. 17 from her parents' home in Spring are Luminita
Miscenco, 26, her gymnastics coach; Brian Huggins, 32, a friend; and Jeff
Pudlo, 23, who coached at the Moceanu gym until he was fired the
day Dominique ran away.
Dominique, who turned 17 Sept. 30,
filed suit Oct. 19 seeking to be certified as an adult, saying her father
has squandered the money she has earned in her seven-year professional
career.
In an affidavit submitted in
support of the request for a hearing, Janice Ward, a friend and former
masseuse of Dominique, said, "Brian Huggins began a relationship with Dominique
Moceanu when she was 15 years old and he was 31 years old. I counseled
her about this relationship, because of the age difference and the fact
that he was a married man and his wife never
was with him."
Dominique, who moved into her
own apartment this weekend, said Monday that the implication of Ward's
statement was "totally not fair. This has gone way over the limit, how
can somebody stoop so low?"
Dominique said Ward used
to massage her after workouts and was one of the few adult friends her
parents allowed her to have.
Huggins, a family friend who
provided professional services for the Moceanus when they built their gym
at 6120 Louetta, which opened last year, said the only reason he is helping
is to ensure Dominique's safety.
"As a parent I made the decision
I wouldn't leave her out on the street," Huggins said. "I think any parent
would want somebody doing that for their children."
The Moceanus' court filings
include the claim that Miscenco, whom Dominique credits with reviving her
sagging career, "is currently illegally in the United States and may be
subject to deportation immediately."
Dominique's father, Dumitru
Moceanu, is Miscenco's sponsor for her work visa. He fired her the day
Dominique ran away. Dominique said she is confident Miscenco will be allowed
to stay in the United States to coach her. The affidavits claim that Miscenco,
Huggins and Pudlo have conspired to influence Dominique to run away.
"Dom made this decision
on her own free will," Pudlo said, echoing the sentiments expressed by
the others. "As a friend I told her I would help her but not influence
her. The only benefit I want to see is her well-being. I don't want any
money, I don't want anything." The parents' motion also says Dominique's
court- appointed attorney, Ellen Yarrell, was out of town Friday or Saturday
and thus could not be with Dominique. Yarrell said she was "insulted"
by the insinuation she did not properly carry out her duties. She said
it is not her responsibility to supervise Dominique around the clock.
She said she talked frequently
with Dominique by phone, even while out of town. Yarrell said she
met with the Moceanus on Friday to try to settle the matter out of court,
and that they told her they are concerned that Miscenco, Huggins and Pudlo
would leave their daughter "penniless" if she were certified as an adult.
Yarrell said she proposed that
a third party oversee Dominique's trust fund so she
would not spend the money unwisely,
but her parents refused, saying it is a "family matter."
Dominique said Monday she had
always assumed she would have access to the trust
fund when she turned 18, but was shocked
to read in a newspaper last week that she would not have access to it until
age 35.
The hearing on her request to
be certified an adult is scheduled for Nov. 11, but a
request to delay that hearing will be heard
Nov. 4, as well as a request to have the entire matter dropped.
Yarrell said she filed a motion
Monday to be appointed as Dominique's guardian if the
adult status hearing is delayed.