“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the beginning.”
The Justice Department on Tuesday reached a $138.7 million settlement with victims of disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to resolve misconduct claims against the FBI for failing to investigate sexual abuse allegations. announced that an agreement had been reached.
“For decades, Mr. Lawrence Nassar abused his position and violated the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while avoiding responsibility,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement. ” he said. “These allegations should have been taken seriously from the beginning. While this settlement does not undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that the settlement will help continue healing for the victims of Nassar's crimes.” It will help provide the critical support needed.”
If the settlement goes through, a long list of athletes and patients who have reported abuse by Nassar, including Maggie Nichols, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, will be brought to the Department of Justice in 2022. and 139 tort lawsuits filed against the FBI will be resolved.
The lawsuit seeks a total of about $1 billion in damages, and comes as the Justice Department announced that it had declined to pursue criminal charges against investigators who the Justice Department's inspector general determined did not properly investigate allegations of abuse by Nassar. It was raised in response to
The watchdog's report found that the FBI was notified of Nassar's actions but took no action for more than 14 months, during which time Nassar raped at least 40 additional girls. He is said to have abused women and men.
Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 to crimes against several victims and was sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography and other charges. He pled guilty again in 2018 and was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years in prison for multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor.
Many lawyers who have filed lawsuits against the government celebrated Tuesday's agreement, but said, “The FBI has failed to protect hundreds of women and girls from sexual abuse due to its inaction and complete mismanagement of the Larry Nassar investigation.” It has fundamentally failed.”
The 77-year-old's attorneys, Megan Bonani and Michael L. Pitt, said, “We are proud to have achieved this monumental settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which ensures the recovery that survivors deserve. “Not only will the Justice Department and FBI be held accountable for their failures,” he said. the plaintiffs said in a statement. “I hope this serves as a lesson to federal law enforcement and that the necessary changes are made to prevent something like this from happening again.”
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