$232m civil settlement for victims of disgraced US team doctor

More than 100 victims of a former United States Olympic team doctor have reached a NZ$232.63 million civil settlement with the United States Department of Justice.

Larry Nassar has been sentenced to more than 300 years in prison for sexually assaulting female gymnasts and possessing child pornography, but the FBI was also facing claims that it had botched the initial investigation.

The claimants had accused the FBI of failing to act on evidence it received in 2015, allowing Nassar to continue sexually abusing young women and girls until he was charged in 2016 following 18 years as the USA gymnastics team doctor.

“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset,” Benjamin Mizer, the acting US associate attorneygeneral, said in a statement.

“While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing.”

Nassar was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material.

The following year, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care.

USA Olympic gold medallists Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney were among the victims who publicly criticised the FBI for its handling of the investigation.

The settlement resolves 139 separate claims.

“We are proud to have achieved a monumental settlement with the United States Department of Justice, that not only secures the recovery the survivors deserve but also holds the DOJ and FBI accountable for their failures,” said lawyers who were representing 77 of the victims.

A report by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog in 2021 uncovered widespread errors by the FBI, including failure to promptly interview potential victims and document interviews.

Nassar’s victims separately reached a settlement of NZ$640m.