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Thursday, October 22, 1998
Famed gymnast Moceanu sues for independence
from parents
HOUSTON (AP) - Gymnast Dominique Moceanu, a member of the 1996
gold medal U.S. Olympic team, is suing for independence from her
parents, alleging that they have squandered her fortune and oppressed
her for years.
Miss Moceanu, 17, filed a state lawsuit in Houston Monday asking
to be declared a legal adult so her parents can't control her
or her money, the Houston Chronicle reported today.
A judge signed a temporary restraining order saying Dumitru
and Camelia Moceanu must stay away from the gymnast, who ran away
from their Harris County home on Sunday, until a Nov. 11 hearing.
Dumitru Moceanu, who opened a gym last year with some of his
daughter's earnings, declined comment to the newspaper. His wife
couldn't be reached for comment.
According to Miss Moceanu's lawsuit, her father has wasted
money she earned since turning professional at age 10.
But she told the Chronicle on Tuesday that the problem is about
much more than money.
"I never had a childhood," said Miss Moceanu, who
added that her parents fueled her Olympic dream starting at age
3. "When I went to compete when I was young, I always was
in fear because I would get yelled at by my father, and I would
say to myself, 'I'm 13 years old, come on,' " she said. "Instead
of talking to me, they're always yelling with me, fighting with
me."
Although many teen-agers have similar feelings toward their
parents, Miss Moceanu said her life has been far from typical.
"It always had to be about the gym," she said about
her relationship with her parents. "I would think, 'Don't
you guys know anything besides gymnastics? Can't we go out for
ice cream? Can't you be my mom and dad instead of me being your
business?'
"Things have been getting rough for a while, a lot of
people don't know," Miss Moceanu said. "We've been trying
to keep things hidden."
The gymnast also told the newspaper her father has hit her
"a couple of times."
The gymnast and her lawyer, Roy W. Moore, both declined to
say how much money she has earned or how much has been lost. But
Moore said a trust that had been set up for her is all but gone.
"I kill myself training and going to school, and what
is he doing with my money?" she said. "They haven't
been working since 1996. Where does their income come from? Me."
Moore said the Moceanu couple, Romanian immigrants, have refused
to answer their daughter's questions about where the money has
gone.
The attorney said all Miss Moceanu must prove to gain her legal
adult status is that she is living away from home and can support
herself. Once that status is granted, she will be able to demand
an accounting of her money through legal channels, Moore said.
Miss Moceanu said she has been hiding from her parents for
the past few days, moving from house to house to stay with friends.
At 14, Miss Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 Olympic
team at the Atlanta Games.
She's the only member of that team still competing in all gymnastics
events and is aiming to compete in the world championships next
year and possibly the Sydney Games in 2000.
In August, she became the first non-Russian to win the all-around
competition at the Goodwill Games.
Despite the legal action, she hopes to mend her relationship
with her parents.
"I love my parents," she said. "I hope that
after all this is over, we'll be closer than ever. That would
be my dream."
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