Elite gymnasts have received a win, but this time off the mat. More than five years after the first sexual abuse allegation was made against former gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the legal battle is finally over for the hundreds of survivors.
USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee agreed have agreed to a $380 million settlement that will compensate more than 500 victims of sexual abuse. The women and young girls were abused by Nassar, their coach, or someone affiliated with gymnastics.
The settlement also includes reforms to the organization in order to prevent future abuse. A dedicated seat on the USA Gymnastics board of directors will be reserved for at least one survivor of sexual abuse. A restorative justice process for survivors will also be created within USA Gymnastics, and other policies will be introduced in order to prevent future abuse.
In 2016, former gymnast Rachael Denhollander came forward with allegations against Larry Nassar for sexual abuse. Since then, a shocking 300 plus survivors have come forward against Nassar.
Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to up to 175 years in prison. But survivors said that the abuse went further than just the man, and demanded justice from the enabling organizations, USA Gymnastics, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Nassar was the gymnastics team doctor for the U.S. Olympic team and worked for years at USA Gymnastics as well as at Michigan State University. He was sentenced for two cases, the first about his abuse while working with USA gymnasts, and the second for molesting young gymnasts at a Michigan training facility.
He was also previously given a sentence for federal child pornography charges.
The massive settlement is one of the largest ever for a case involving sexual abuse. It also extended beyond the victims of Nassar, and includes about 200 victims of abuse from other people with ties to USA Gymnastics.
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