The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a civil settlement with victims of the sexual abuse perpetrated by former physician and USA Gymnastics official Lawrence Gerard Nassar. The settlements are in response to 139 administrative claims arising from allegations of sexual abuse committed by Nassar.
Nassar, who was arrested in 2016 by the State of Michigan, had sexually abused hundreds of victims over nearly two decades under the pretense of medical treatments. These settlements aim to address administrative claims against the United States regarding the FBI's handling of the investigation into Nassar's conduct.
Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer expressed, "For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability." Mizer added, "These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing."
The settlement agreements, totaling $138.7 million, have been approved by the Department to be distributed among the 139 claimants. The Department's Office of the Inspector General had previously issued a report in July 2021 criticizing certain aspects of the FBI’s response to the allegations against Nassar.
It is noted that the headline of the press release has been updated to remove the characterization of the number of settlements.