Larry Nassar Agrees to Pay $138.7 Million in Sexual Abuse Settlement

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The lawsuit against the former U.S. national team doctor, who committed sexual violence against female gymnasts for over 30 years, has been made public.

On the 23rd (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they had reached an agreement to pay the victims of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse a total of $138.7 million in a total of 139 lawsuits brought by the victims.

The Department of Justice stated, “Nassar’s allegations should have been taken seriously from the beginning,” and added, “While this agreement cannot undo the damage, we hope it will help provide the necessary support for continuous healing.”

Nassar, who worked as a team doctor of the United States women’s national gymnastics team since 1986, used his position to exploit and sexually assault hundreds of young athletes, such as gymnastics star Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney.

The FBI became aware of Nassar’s criminal activities in July 2015 and began an initial investigation, but the investigation was delayed, and charges were not filed until November 2016. In addition, the FBI agent who took the initial statement from victim Maroney did not even write a statement until 2017, which drew much criticism.

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Later, in a Senate hearing held in September 2021, Maroney testified, “It was mentally challenging for me to report my sexual abuse to the FBI, and it was even more painful that the FBI ignored my statement.”

As a result, the U.S. Gymnastics Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee were also sued by over 500 victims for neglecting Nassar’s crimes and agreed to pay a settlement of $380 million in December 2021. Michigan State University, where Nassar committed crimes over the years, also agreed to pay a settlement of $500 million to 300 victims for their negligence.

The attorney who represented 44 victims, explained that “the total settlement of $1 billion in all Nassar-related lawsuits speaks to the ‘shocking tragedy that has occurred.'”

Meanwhile, Nassar is currently serving a federal sentence of 60 years in prison and a maximum state sentence of 175 years for his crimes in Michigan. The victims filed this lawsuit in 2022, arguing that “the FBI failed to properly investigate Nassar’s crimes even after becoming aware of them, leading to continued victimization.”