Ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar makes his appearance on the fifth day of his sentencing on Jan. 22, 2018 at the Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing.
A new lawsuit has been filed against Nassar, USA Gymnastics, the United States Olympic Committee, and MSU. However, this is the first complaint filed including the International Federation of Gymnastics as a defendant.
Attorney Mo Aziz of the Texas law firm Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz, Texas attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel and Michigan attorney Jamie White, who already represents a number of Nassar survivors in court, filed the lawsuit jointly Wednesday.
The lawsuit alleges seven plaintiffs, women ranging from age 14 to age 41, were molested by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment while he was employed as the USA Team Gymnastics doctor and a sports medicine doctor at MSU.
The lawsuit also alleges USA Gymnastics breached its "duty to reveal" the abuse to survivor's families, law enforcement, MSU and the U.S. Olympic Committee, according to a press release.
The plaintiff's petition includes the International Federation of Gymnastics in complaints lodged against USAG and USOC, including gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent failure to warn or protect, among other grievances.
“The trauma these women have suffered as a result of the sexual abuse and assaults has only been made worse by the failure of these institutions to take meaningful responsibility for what happened to these young girls on their watch,” White said in a press release.
Aziz's firm will host a press conference at 1 p.m. Thursday in Texas, according to a press release.
“As a former athlete who competed in a sport for the United States myself, I know the complete trust these young women put in their coaches, their trainers, and organizations like FIG and USAG," Tuegel said in the release. "Not only did they fail to protect these young women, they also have continued to engage in a culture of silence that is designed to protect their multi-million dollar institutions and enterprises rather than protect the bodies and spirits of these young female athletes."
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