Six-time Olympic medal winner Aly Raisman addresses ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics Dr. Larry Nassar during her statement on the fourth day of Nassar's sentencing on Jan. 19, 2018 at the Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing. (Nic Antaya | The State News)
After proposing a $400 million settlement in October, USA Gymnastics and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, or USOPC have reached a $380 million settlement with survivors of former U.S. Olympic national team physician and ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar, according to The Wall Street Journal.
This settlement is among the largest on record for survivors of sexual abuse.
Olympics gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, who were treated by Nassar during his time as the team doctor, are among the survivors with claims in the settlement, according to the WSJ.
Gymnasts competing for local clubs who sought treatment from Nassar based on his national reputation, a handful of victims of abusive coaches who had been pursuing claims against the sport’s governing bodies and nonmonetary provisions, including requirements for self-identified survivors of abuse in gymnastics to have official roles in USA Gymnastics, are also included in the settlement.
The final holdout insurer, TIG Insurance Company, is set to pay a substantial share of the settlement following confirmation from a bankruptcy court hearing on Dec. 13 in Indianapolis.
A contribution from the USOPC for around $34 million, and a $6 million loan from USOPC to USA Gymnastics to contribute is included in the settlement details.
Prior to this, in May 2018, MSU reached a $500 million settlement with survivors, detailing $425 million would be paid to current claimants, and $75 million would be set aside in a fund for future claimants of alleged abuse by Nassar.
The $380 million settlement will put an end to the five-year legal battle that began when the first public allegations against Nassar were brought to light in 2016, two years before USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy.
“As legal and lawsuit hearings continue, we realize that many survivors are continuing to process and cope with the abuse they unfortunately received,” MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said in a statement. “We do hope that survivors are utilizing the Counseling and Mental Health Fund, or to seek out support from our MSU Center for Survivors.”
The Army of Survivors released a statement Dec. 13 saying the settlement is a step in the right direction, but there is still a way to go for new safety polices to be created and implemented.
"Although no settlement amount will make up for the abuse that so many endured, this is a step toward healing," the statement wrote. "USA Gymnastics and the USOPC have long held the stance that their organizations should not be held responsible for Nassar’s abuse; this settlement serves as part of the necessary accountability of the complicity of USA Gymnastics and the USOPC."
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