The victims of disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar have reportedly reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and their insurers after a five-year legal battle.
The settlement was confirmed during a hearing in a federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis on Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The settlement covers claims brought by Olympic gold medalists including Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, all of whom are among Nassar’s most high-profile victims of sexual abuse. In total, hundreds of victims are included in the agreement, which is among the largest ever recorded for victims of sexual abuse, according to the Journal.
US Gymnasts Aly Raisman (2-L), McKayla Maroney (L), Simone Biles (2-R) and Maggie Nichols (3-R) arrive for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Dereliction of Duty: Examining the Inspector General’s Report on the FBI’s Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington on September 15
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles testifies during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill
Larry Nassar (pictured), who had been the main doctor for Olympic gymnasts, was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material. The following year, he was also sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation.
Victims included US Olympic team members dating back as far as 1996, according to the Journal.
Biles, Raisman, and Maroney testified about the abuse they suffered during a Senate hearing this year. At the hearing, they blasted USA Gymnastics and Olympic officials for failing to stop Nassar, and they took the FBI to task over its botched investigation into Nassar’s actions.
The plaintiffs accused USA Gymnastics of pressuring athletes to be complaint, which created an environment where a predator such as Nassar could go on without facing any accountability.
Nassar, who had been the main doctor for Olympic gymnasts, was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material.
The following year, he was also sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care.
The settlement was reached after TIG Insurance agreed to pay a large portion of the money, the Journal said.
United States gymnasts Maggie Nichols, left, and Aly Raisman, are sworn in during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, September 15
As plaintiff’s attorney John Manly told ESPN, Nassar’s victims have now received $880 million in settlements following a 2018 deal with Michigan State, where he also worked and treated gymnasts.
‘This settlement is the result of the bravery of hundreds of survivors who, despite legal obstacles, long odds and the best corporate legal talent money can buy, refused to be silent,’ Manly said. ‘The power of their story eventually won the day.’
USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy in 2018, after Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher had filed a lawsuit and additional claims were filed on behalf of a growing number of Nassar’s victims.
It has since taken more than three years to reach the settlement, which includes requirement stating that self-identified survivors of abuse in gymnastics will have official roles in USA Gymnastics going forward.
When the settlement is finalized, USA Gymnastics will likely restaff its governing body with new leaders, according to the Journal. The organization hopes rebuild after its bankruptcy hearing by attracting new sponsors.
