Gold Medalist Simone Biles Included In $380M Settlement Against U.S. Government-Backed Olympics, Larry Nassar. In this photo, United States gymnasts from left, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols, leave after testifying at a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of the Larry Nassar investigation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, in Washington. Nassar was charged in 2016 with federal child pornography offenses and sexual abuse charges in Michigan. He is now serving decades in prison after hundreds of girls and women said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment when he worked for Michigan State and Indiana-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)
The sexual assault victims of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar will receive a $380 million settlement – including history-making gold medalist Simone Biles.
The settlement – which was reached Monday, Dec. 13 – was announced in an Indiana bankruptcy court by Judge Robyn Moberly, according to The Washington Post. It concludes a longstanding and emotional five-year legal saga during which more than 260 gymnasts accused Nassar of sexually abusing them under the guise of medical care.
Biles, fellow U.S. gold medalists McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, and gymnast Maggie Nichols testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in September detailing the abuse they endured at the hands of Nassar.
They were joined and hundreds of others gymnasts who accused USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) of turning a blind eye to Nassar’s abuse for years, despite mounting accusations against him.
“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. “The scars of this horrific abuse continue to live with all of us.”
The FBI has also been accused of being complicit for waiting more than a year to arrest Nassar after first learning of the allegations against him.
“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.
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In addition to USA gymnasts, women and girls from Michigan State University also filed lawsuits against Nassar, 58. The school paid more than $500 million to settle more than 300 claims, the Post reported.
Attorney Jamie White, who represents dozens of Nassar’s victims, said the settlement should serve as a cautionary example to organizations moving forward, the New York Post reported.
“To the institutions that only care about maximizing profits while disregarding the human toll, we hope this sends a message: this is how much a cover-up costs,” White said in a statement.
Another attorney for the victims, John Manly, commended the gymnasts for their bravery.
“We prevailed for one simple reason, the courage and tenacity of the survivors,” Manly said in a statement. “These brave women relived their abuse publicly in countless media interviews so that not one more child will be forced to suffer physical, emotional or sexual abuse in pursuit of their dreams.”
In addition to the monetary payment, USA Gymnastics and the USOPC have committed to having a survivor hold a board seat and other reforms.
“USA Gymnastics is deeply sorry for the trauma and pain that Survivors have endured as a result of this organization’s actions and inactions,” USA Gymnastics President and CEO Li Li Leung said in a statement. “The Plan of Reorganization that we jointly filed reflects our own accountability to the past and our commitment to the future.
“Individually and collectively, Survivors have stepped forward with bravery to advocate for enduring change in this sport,” Leung continued. “We are committed to working with them, and with the entire gymnastics community, to ensure that we continue to prioritize the safety, health, and wellness of our athletes and community above all else.”
