Department of Justice Provides USA Gymnasts Reparations for “A Different Kind of Betrayal”

This week, the Justice Department announced it would pay $138.7 million to resolve claims of sexual abuse by the former U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor Lawrence G. Nassar. The New York Times reports, “The far-reaching settlement, which covers 139 claims, stems from the failure of F.B.I. officials to promptly investigate allegations what would ultimately lead to a horrifying conclusion: Mr. Nassar had sexually assaulted hundreds of women and girls under the guise of examinations and treatment.”

The lawyers at Justice Law Collaborative are proud to represent five of the gymnasts who have fought for years to hold everyone who played a role in their abuse accountable. The case against the F.B.I. was the third and final fight for the gymnasts who had previously reached settlements with Michigan State University followed by USA Gymnastics and the Olympic Committee for their multiple failures related to these girls and young women.

Attorney Kim Dougherty says, “The case against the F.B.I. represented a different kind of betrayal for our clients because law enforcement organizations are supposed to keep you from harm, yet they let these women down when they failed to stop the abuse for an entire year.”

The settlement with the F.B.I. represents the final chapter in the gymnast’s legal fight. "We’ve been working for these women for years. When fighting for survivors of sexual assault, it’s important to let the institutions that enable predators know that they will be held accountable, and we are in the fight for the long haul.”

The survivors’ bravery in battling the federal government and reliving their horrific experiences in another painful way was remarkable and admirable. The lawyers at Justice Law Collaborative are proud to have been a part of this historic resolution with a handful of other law firms and to fight by these survivors’ sides to attain justice and accountability for an organization rarely held liable.