Larry Nassar’s victims compensated by the US government

Published on: 23/04/2024 – 23:55Changed: 23/04/2024 – 23:59

3 minutes

The Larry Nassar affair, which caused an international earthquake, continues to shake the world of gymnastics. Under the terms of the agreement announced on Tuesday, April 23, the US government will pay $138.7 million to victims who were sexually assaulted by the former national team doctor.

Larry Nassar is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2017 and 2018 of two decades of sexual violence against more than 250 gymnasts, often minors. Among his many victims, we include Olympic champion Simone Biles, who attacked the US administration along with a hundred other gymnasts and accused the FBI of negligence.

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Because the first charges against him were transferred in July 2015 to the local FBI office in Indianapolis (North). But the investigation was quickly abandoned and it took another report, in May 2016, before the federal police launched new investigations.

“The other victims and I were betrayed by all the institutions that were supposed to protect us,” said former 2022 Olympic champion McKayla Maroney, pointing not only at the FBI, but also at the US federation, the Olympic Committee and the Department of Justice.

“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the start,” admitted Benjamin Mizer, a deputy at the Justice Department. “While these settlements will not undo the harm that Larry Nassar caused, we hope they will help victims of his crimes receive the critical support they need to continue their healing.”

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In July 2021, a report from the General Inspectorate in the Ministry of Justice concluded that there were “fundamental errors” by the agents responsible for the first investigation.

More than a billion dollars in financial compensation paid out

Former osteopath and therapist, Larry Nassar, was the national medical coordinator for the American Gymnastics Federation between 1996 and 2014. He also worked at Michigan State University and in a gymnastics club, where he caused many victims.

Since his conviction, he was stabbed in prison in July 2023, an attack which he survived.

In the United States, the various financial compensations paid to the victims of the ex-doctor total more than a billion dollars, including 500 million by the State University of Michigan and 380 million by the gymnastics association.

Since this unprecedented affair, gymnasts from around the world have spoken out to condemn abuse, exposing a toxic culture within their discipline.

In Britain, Australia, Canada and even France, a series of revelations have taken place in recent years, denouncing decades of physical and psychological abuse.

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This led to the International Gymnastics Federation adopting a new code of conduct in June 2022 to protect gymnasts from abuse.

With AFP