Trial for former UK swim coach accused of sexual abuse has been delayed
The trial date for the former University of Kentucky head swim coach accused of sexual abuse has been delayed to January 2027 in U.S. District Court in Lexington.
The trial for Lars Jorgensen was previously scheduled for June 22, 2026, but all parties in the case asked for a delay to have more time for discovery and depositions, according to court records. The new start date — Jan. 19, 2027 — was set this month by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, with an estimated trial length of five days.
In April 2024, Briggs Alexander and “Jane Doe” accused Jorgensen in a lawsuit of a pattern of sexual harassment and sexual assault. They are former UK swimmers who later worked as assistant swim coaches under Jorgensen.
They are also suing UK and Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart, who was Jorgensen’s supervisor until the swim coach resigned in 2023. The lawsuit argues that UK turned a blind eye to warnings about Jorgensen’s predatory behavior toward women for years, even as they and a third UK swimmer were abused by the coach.
Jorgensen, UK and Barnhart have denied wrongdoing.
In October, Jorgensen was ruled permanently ineligible from coaching by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit organization established by Congress to protect athletes who compete in Olympic sports.
In its online disciplinary database, the Center for SafeSport cited Jorgensen for “misconduct” and specifically listed an “intimate relationship involving a power imbalance; physical misconduct; retaliation; sexual harassment; (and) sexual misconduct.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM.
