Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and other stars of US gymnastics filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the FBI on Wednesday for mishandling the former doctor Larry’s sexual abuse investigation. Nassar of the hunting squad. Nassar, 58, is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty in late 2017 and early 2018 to sexually assaulting athletes while working as a sports medicine doctor at USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. Hundreds of women – including Olympic gold medalists Biles, Raisman and McKayla Maroney – have accused Nassar of sexually abusing them over his more than two-decade career.
Biles, Raisman and Maroney are among more than 90 women who have filed a federal torture lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the law firms handling the case said in a joint statement.
The majority of claimants, including more than 90 women and girls, were abused after 2015 because the FBI failed to take the necessary steps to protect them, they said.
The statement against the FBI comes just days after the Justice Department announced it was not bringing any charges against two now-retired FBI special agents who mishandled the Nassar investigation.
“My fellow survivors and I have been betrayed by every organization that is supposed to protect us – the US Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, the FBI and now the Department of Justice,” Maroney said in a statement.
“I had some hope that they would keep their word and hold the FBI accountable,” she said. “It is clear that the only path to justice and healing is through the legal process.”
‘Completely derelict’
The law firms said the FBI received credible complaints in July 2015 about Nassar’s sexual assaults and “was able to immediately put an end to Nassar’s predatory behavior.”
“However, the FBI has been completely negligent in its mission by refusing to interview gymnasts willing to talk about abuse,” they said.
“As a result, Nassar continued his predatory behavior, sexually assaulting approximately 90 young women and children between July 28, 2015 and September 12, 2016,” they added. .
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the legal request but only let reporters testify before a Senate committee in September 2021 by FBI director Christopher Wray.
Speaking to victims of Nassar, Wray said: “I am especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had the opportunity to stop this monster in 2015 and failed.”
“That’s inexcusable,” the FBI director said. “It should never have happened. And we’re doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.”
Nassar victims reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics last year, one of the largest deals ever recorded for victims of sexual abuse.
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USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after a wave of allegations against Nassar flooded the organization.
Michigan State University reached a $500 million settlement with hundreds of Nassar victims in 2018.
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