Larry Nassar Abuse Survivors File $130 Million In Claims Against FBI Over ‘Gross Negligence’ In Handling Of Assault Case

Topline

More than a dozen women who were assaulted by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar filed $130 million in claims Thursday against the FBI over the bureau’s “grossly negligent failure” to investigate allegations in 2015, which lawyers say led to hundreds more unnecessary assaults until the disgraced doctor’s arrest in 2016.

Key Facts

Lawyers for 13 women and girls filed claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, a legal means for victims who have suffered injury due to the negligent or wrongful act of omission by a federal government employee.

Attorney Jamie White said during a press conference USA Gymnastics met with FBI agents on July 28, 2015, to report allegations of assault by Nassar, and though FBI policy requires reports of child abuse to be dealt with immediately, Indianapolis FBI officials never referred the allegations to local authorities.

The Justice Department’s Inspector General released a report in 2021 which found the FBI “mishandled” a probe into allegations against Nassar and that two FBI officials in the Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to the allegations reported by USA Gymnastics “with the urgency that the allegations required.”

White said Nassar was able to continue “his reign of terror for almost 17 unnecessary months,” leading to Nassar assaulting more than 100 women between July 2015 and his arrest in December 2016.

The 13 women who filed claims seeking $10 million each were assaulted between July 2015 and December 2016, White said.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Crucial Quote

“No one should have been assaulted after the summer of 2015, because the FBI should have done its job, Grace French, one of the survivors filing a claim, said during a press conference. “This incredible systemic breakdown shows that there is needed change in the way that the FBI responds to cases of abuse. This is about showing those institutions who continue to harbor, enable, and protect predators that there are consequences for turning a blind eye to abuse through inaction.”

What To Watch For

If the tort claims lead to a civil lawsuit. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, individuals file claims directly with the government agency, which then has six months to respond. If the FBI doesn’t reach a settlement with the survivors, then lawyers for the women can file a lawsuit in federal court. White added he expects more women and girls to file claims over the next six months, as more than 100 individuals were assaulted between July 2015 and December 2016.

Key Background

The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing last year regarding the errors of the FBI’s investigation into Nassar, where several top gymnasts testified and slammed the FBI. Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles said the agency “turned a blind eye to us.” FBI Director Christopher Wray apologized during the hearing, saying “I’m sorry that so many different people let you down over and over again, and I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015, but failed.”

Tangent

Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher filed a separate lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee over Nassar’s abuse in 2016. As the agencies and victims negotiated the settlement over the next few years, many of the sport’s top athletes criticized how the two agencies handled the reports on social media and in a Senate hearing in 2021. Nassar’s victims and insurance companies for USA Gymnastics and the USOPC agreed to a $380 million settlement in December.

Further Reading

Simone Biles, Other Elite Gymnasts Slam FBI For ‘Failed’ Nassar Investigation (Forbes)

USA Gymnastics, US Olympic Committee Agree To $380 Million Settlement With Nassar Victims (Forbes)