May 21, 2024

USA pays gymnastics victims $138.7 million

The US Department of Justice will pay $138.7 million in damages to several victims of abuse committed by former sports doctor and gymnastics official Larry Nassar. According to a statement, 139 administrative cases related to allegations of sexual assault against Nassar were settled.

In a lawsuit filed by the top security agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the affected women and girls were accused of following up on reports of abuse too late, allowing Nassar to commit more crimes for more than a year until his arrest in the fall of 2016. The Justice Department said the settlement reached It has now been reached that resolves the administrative lawsuits filed against the United States. The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press had already reported the willingness to pay reparations the previous week.

For decades, Nassar “abused his position by betraying the trust of people under his care and medical supervision while simultaneously abdicating responsibility,” Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Kennedy was quoted as saying. “These allegations were serious from the beginning,” Mizer said in the statement. must be taken. While these settlements will not undo the harm Nassar caused, we hope they will help provide the critical support victims of his crimes need to continue healing.

Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017

Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017 and was convicted of more than 250 counts of sexual assault in three sentences totaling 175 years in prison. International star Biles also testified at the trial alongside more than 150 other affected people.

Victims of the abuse have already received compensation, and the total now stands at nearly $1 billion. In 2018, Nassar's former employer, Michigan State University, promised a $500 million settlement, and a $380 million agreement was reached with USA Gymnastics in 2021.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240423-99-781604/2