TL/DR –
The U.S. Justice Department has settled with over 100 plaintiffs for $138.7 million over allegations of gross mishandling of assault allegations against Larry Nassar. Previous settlements have seen $1 billion set aside to compensate those who claimed Nassar assaulted them. Nassar, who previously worked at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, is currently serving a prison sentence for those assaults.
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has reached a $138.7 million settlement with over 100 individuals who accused the FBI of mishandling 2015 and 2016 sexual assault allegations against Larry Nassar, allowing the sports doctor to continue victimizing individuals before his arrest.
This settlement, combined with others, totals $1 billion set aside by various groups to support hundreds of women who claimed assault by Nassar, who posed as a treatment provider for sports injuries. Nassar, formerly associated with Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, is serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including Olympic medal-winning gymnasts.
Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer acknowledged the severity of the allegations and the hope that these settlements will provide victims with necessary support for healing. The Justice Department admitted their failure to take action despite having knowledge of the allegations.
Christopher Wray, FBI Director, expressed deep apologies for the bureau’s failure to act in 2015. Affected victims include renowned Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney.
Rachael Denhollander, the first person to publicly expose Nassar’s abuses, expressed gratitude for the accountability shown by the Justice Department. She noted that such accountability, justice, and restitution is rare for most survivors.
Michigan State University, also accused of failure to prevent Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to over 300 assaulted women and girls. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee settled for a sum of $380 million.
Attorney Mick Grewal represented 44 claimants against the government and stated that the $1 billion in overall settlements denotes the scale of the tragedy that occurred.
For regular updates on the cases against Larry Nassar: https://apnews.com/hub/larry-nassar
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