The US Justice Department announced yesterday it will pay nearly $139M to settle claims by 139 women over the FBI's mishandling of sexual abuse allegations against former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
The settlement comes more than two years after a group of women, including Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney, filed lawsuits against the FBI. Their lawsuits followed a 2021 Justice Department report that found the FBI's offices in Indianapolis and Los Angeles failed to adequately respond to allegations against Nassar in 2015 and 2016. Nassar, now 60, was arrested in 2016 after a separate investigation by Michigan State University, where he was employed. Nassar has been serving a de facto life sentence for multiple convictions for sexually abusing athletes under his care.
Nearly $1B has been paid out in total by various institutions to settle claims against Nassar, including $500M from Michigan State University and $380M from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. See a timeline of events here.
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