Washington (dpa) – The US Department of Justice will pay compensation worth $138.7 million to several victims of abuse committed by sports doctor and former 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.
Over the course of decades, Nassar “abused his position by betraying the trust of people under his care and medical supervision while simultaneously disavowing responsibility,” as Deputy Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer was quoted in the statement: “These allegations were serious and should have been taken first.” While these settlements will not undo the harm Nassar caused, we hope they will help provide the victims of his crimes with the necessary support they need to continue healing.
Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017
Nassar, 60, was a USA Gymnastics physician and a gymnast at Michigan State University for more than 20 years. During this time he is said to have sexually assaulted 265 women and girls, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. FBI Chief Christopher Wray acknowledged his agency's “inexcusable” failure in a statement to the US Senate in September 2021.
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, along with 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.
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