Photo courtesy of Boston Globe.
Summary: Gymnast Aly Raisman is suing the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman, helped put Dr. Larry Nassar in jail, and now she is going after a powerful organization that allegedly let his abuse continue for decades.
Raisman filed court papers in California against the U.S. Olympic Committee, according to NBC News. In her complaint, the gold medalist said that the Olympics Committee either knew or should’ve known about Nassar using his position to abuse gymnasts and that they did nothing to stop him.
Nassar was the official doctor for the U.S. Gymnastics team for decades, and during this time, he sexually abused hundreds of young athletes. During his trial, some of his victims described how he would touch their genitals without gloves and other humiliating acts under the guise of “medical exams.”
Raisman’s lawsuit comes six weeks after Nassar’s sexual abuse trial, where he was found guilty on multiple accounts. The doctor had previously been found guilty of possessing child pornography.
So far, more than 250 female athletes have sued Nassar and organizations that he worked with. Since the abuse allegations came to light, there have been several high profile resignations, including U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackman.
Blackman’s resignation, however, has not appeased critics, who were angry that he claimed he was stepping down because of cancer and not as a response to his handling of the Nassar ordeal.
Raisman has been public about her condemnation of Nassar, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and USA Gymnastics. She said that they failed to conduct an investigation when complaints against the doctor had emerged.
“After all this time, they remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation, and without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented,” Raisman said to NBC News. “I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed.”
The U.S. Olympics Committee said earlier this year that they were hiring a third-party to conduct an investigation into the Nassar scandal. Nassar’s victims, however, said that they want Congress, not a law firm hired by the Olympics Committee, to conduct a probe.
The committee has maintained that they did not know about Nassar’s behavior until 2016, when the Indianapolis Star published an expose that brought down the gymnastics team doctor.
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- Senate and House Pass Bill in Response to Dr. Larry Nassar Scandal
- Lawsuit Claims McKayla Maroney Was Paid to Keep Quiet about Sexual Abuse
- Dr. Larry Nassar Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges