Larry Nassar victims to receive $380 million in sex abuse settlement

USA Gymnastics and the US Olympics Committee will pay $380 million to victims of Larry Nassar’s sex abuse.

Nassar, a USA Gymnastics doctor, was accused of sexually abusing more than 260 women under the pretext of medical treatment. He was found guilty of criminal sexual conduct and child pornography and was sentenced to 300 years in jail.

After a five-year legal battle, hundreds of women, including Olympic gold medal gymnasts Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney will receive money from the settlement.

An FBI investigation found that Nassar had abused more than 330 women. During the investigation, however, there were many missteps, delays and cover-ups surrounding the scandal.

“I believe without a doubt that the circumstances that led to my abuse and allowed it to continue are directly the result of the fact that the organizations created by Congress to oversee and protect me as an athlete, USA Gymnastics, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, failed to do their jobs,” Biles said.

“After telling my entire story of abuse to the FBI in the summer of 2015, not only the FBI did not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said,” Maroney said.

“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,” tweeted Rachael Denhollander on Monday. She was the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of abuse.

In 2018, USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy because of the large number of lawsuits it was receiving against Nassar.

As part of the settlement, USA Gymnastics agreed to set up a restorative justice program, which will allow survivors of Nassar’s abuse to have a say in how the organization deals with future allegations of sexual abuse.