Aly Raisman Is Suing USA Gymnastics and the USOC
She says both organizations didn't do enough to stop Larry Nassar.
Photo via AP/Jae C. Hong
After months of intensely criticizing of the organizations for the way they dealt with doctor and now-convicted child molester Larry Nassar, gold medalist Aly Raisman announced Friday that she is suing the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics.
The 23-year-old Needham gymnast has become a prominent advocate for Nassar’s scores of victims after a marathon session of victim impact statements caught the nation’s attention in January. She has accused the USOC and U.S.A. Gymnastics of enabling Nassar, has been sharply critical of the way they have responded to the allegations, and has called for an independent investigation into how a child predator was allowed to thrive. She filed suit in California on Wednesday accusing the organizations of negligence, alleging they “knew or should have known” that Nassar was taking advantage of young women under the guise of providing medical care.
“It has become painfully clear that these organizations have no intention of properly addressing this problem,’’ Raisman said in a statement. ‘‘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. Meanwhile, thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system. 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.”
Raisman revealed in November that she had been abused repeatedly by Nassar. Her suit is one of more than 100 similar actions filed against Nassar and U.S.A. Olympics so far, according to the Associated Press.
“We are here, we have our voices, and we are not going anywhere,” Raisman said in court when she confronted her abuser in January. She wasn’t kidding.
