USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and their insurers reached agreement Monday on a $380 million settlement with the hundreds of women who were abused by former team physician Larry Nassar.
The settlement, which could be approved later Monday, ends a five-year legal battle that began when former gymnast turned lawyer Rachael Denhollander levied the first public claims of abuse against Nassar, who not only was the former longtime team physician for USA Gymnastics, but served at Michigan State as well.
The sum is the largest ever recorded for sexual abuse victims, per The Wall Street Journal.
Former Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and USOPC in September 2016.
“This chapter is finally closed,” Denhollander posted on Twitter.
This chapter is finally closed.
Now the hard work of reform and rebuilding can begin. Whether or not justice comes and change is made, depends on what happens next. https://t.co/611dOyACeP
— Rachael Denhollander (@R_Denhollander) December 13, 2021
Hundreds of women said they were abused by Nassar, who is now serving a 175-year sentence in Michigan state prison. The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct in 2018. He was also sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in 2017 on child pornography charges.
Denhollander noted that there were other abuse issues within USA Gymnastics, with the settlement addressing those transgressions as well.
“Important note about this settlement: while the majority of survivors are survivors of Nassar’s abuse, our settlement includes survivors abused by coaches and other officials in the sport,” Denhollander wrote on Twitter. “This is not just a Nassar problem…”
Among the more than 500 survivors are Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. It’s not clear how much each survivor will receive.
“This settlement occurred because of a five-year fight the USOPC and USA Gymnastics decided to initiate against the 500-plus Nassar survivors. Today, because of the courage of these survivors, the survivors prevailed,” attorney John Manly, who represented many of the Nassar victims, told USA Today.
The settlement also calls for survivors to have official roles within USA Gymnastics, including having at least one seat on the board.
–Field Level Media