Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has sued the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, the sport's governing body, saying they should have prevented the former team doctor, Larry Nassar, from sexually abusing her and other athletes.
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court on Wednesday and announced Friday, names the two organizations as defendants, as well as Nassar; Steve Penny, a former president of USA Gymnastics; and Paul Parilla, the former chairman of its board.
Raisman, 23, won gold medals at the past two Summer Olympics, where she served as team captain. She is seeking a jury trial for "serial molestation, sexual abuse and harassment" by Nassar during trips abroad and in the United States that the lawsuit said the defendants could have prevented. The suit also alleges that up to 500 other unnamed individuals could have intervened.
"It has become painfully clear that these organizations have no intention of properly addressing this problem," Raisman said in a statement Thursday. "After all this time, they remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation, and without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented."
Matt Newburg, one of Nassar's lawyers, declined in an email Friday to comment on Raisman's lawsuit.
The U.S. Olympic Committee did not reply to a request for comment. Edith R. Matthai, Penny's lawyer, declined to comment on pending litigation. Telephone messages left for Parilla on Friday were not returned.
Raisman said she suffers from depression, anxiety and fear stemming from the abuse, which took place between 2010 and 2015 at the famed Karolyi training ranch in Huntsville, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia and Australia.
She also said she has lost money and her earning capacity.
The abuse occurred during competitions and training, at events where the organizations were responsible for Raisman's safety and making sure that protocols were followed, the lawsuit said.
"Thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system," Raisman said. "I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed."
In November 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually abusing seven girls. But at sentencing hearings in January, more than 150 girls and women, including Raisman, described being sexually abused for years while in his care.
He was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison for multiple sex crimes. He had already been sentenced to 60 years for child pornography convictions. And in February, he was sentenced in another case to 40-125 years for criminal sexual conduct toward girls at a gymnastics center in Michigan.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement Friday that it was sorry its athletes had been abused by Nassar. Those athletes include Jacob Moore, who this week became the first male gymnast to accuse Nassar of assault when he joined a separate lawsuit, alleging Nassar performed acupuncture on Moore's genital area while treating him for a shoulder injury in 2016.
"USA Gymnastics supports our athletes, like Aly Raisman, Jacob Moore and others, who have shared their experiences with abuse, and we are very sorry that any athlete has been hurt by the despicable crimes of Larry Nassar," the statement said.
It said that while it would not comment on Raisman's and Moore's complaints, "USA Gymnastics is committed to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again by making bold decisions and holding ourselves to the highest standards of care."
The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics' handling of the sexual abuse scandal has drawn sharp criticism, and has led to a shake-up of top officials in both organizations.
This week, Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, became the latest official to step down under pressure.
Sports on 03/03/2018