Raisman suing USOC, USA Gymnastics
Gold medalist claims groups should have kept Nassar in check
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has sued the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, saying they should have prevented Larry Nassar, the former team doctor, from sexually abusing her and other athletes.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court on Wednesday and announced Friday, names the two organizations as defendants, as well as Nassar; Steve Penny, a former president of USA Gymnastics; and Paul Parilla, the former chairman of its board.
Raisman, 23, won gold medals at the last two Summer Olympics, where she served as team captain. She is seeking a jury trial for “serial molestation, sexual abuse and harassment” by Nassar during trips abroad and in the United States that the lawsuit said the defendants could have prevented. The suit also alleges that up to 500 other unnamed individuals could have intervened.
“It has become painfully clear that these organizations have no intention of properly addressing this problem,” Raisman said in a statement. “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 she suffers from depression, anxiety and fear stemming from the abuse, which took place between 2010 and 2015 at the famed Karolyi training ranch near Huntsville, and elsewhere in the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia and Australia.
She also said she had lost money and her earning capacity.
The abuse occurred during competitions and training, at events where the organizations were responsible for Raisman’s safety and making sure protocols were followed, the lawsuit said.
“Thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system,” Raisman said. “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.”
In November 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually abusing seven girls. But at sentencing hearings in January, more than 150 girls and women, including Raisman, described being sexually abused for years while in his care.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement Friday that it was sorry its athletes had been abused by Nassar. Those athletes include Jacob Moore, who this week became the first male gymnast to accuse Nassar of assault when he joined a separate lawsuit, alleging Nassar performed acupuncture on Moore’s genital area while treating him for a shoulder injury in 2016.
The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics’ handling of the sexual abuse scandal has drawn sharp criticism and has led to a shake-up of top officials in both organizations.
This week, Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, became the latest official to step down under pressure.