U.S. Agrees to Pay $1 Billion to Nassar Abuse Victims Over FBI's Failure to Investigate

The U.S. Justice Department has reached a $1 billion settlement with hundreds of women who were sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. The settlement recognizes the FBI's failure to properly investigate allegations against Nassar when they were first brought to the agency's attention in 2015.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Justice Department will pay $138.7 million to settle 139 administrative claims made against the FBI for its mishandling of the Nassar case. This brings the total compensation for Nassar's victims to nearly $1 billion, with previous settlements of $500 million from Michigan State University and $380 million from USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Nassar, who worked as a sports doctor at Michigan State University and for USA Gymnastics, sexually abused hundreds of female athletes, including Olympic gymnasts, under the guise of medical treatment over the course of nearly two decades. He is currently serving a 40 to 175-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexual abuse charges in 2018.

Why this matters: The settlement marks a significant acknowledgment of the systemic failures that allowed Nassar's abuse to continue for so long. It also highlights the importance of taking allegations of sexual abuse seriously and conducting thorough investigations to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.

A 2021 report by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General found that FBI officials made numerous errors in their handling of the Nassar allegations. The report stated that senior officials in the FBI's Indianapolis field office failed to respond to the allegations with the urgency required, made numerous fundamental errors, and violated multiple FBI policies when they did respond.

This lack of action allowed Nassar to continue treating gymnasts at Michigan State University, a high school, and a gymnastics club for over a year after the allegations were first brought to the FBI's attention. During this time, Nassar is believed to have sexually abused dozens more victims before he was eventually arrested in November 2016.

Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual abuse, expressed gratitude for the accountability the settlement represents but noted that more needs to be done to prevent such failures in the future. "This is a step toward justice," Denhollander said. "But until we know exactly what happened, who knew what when, and how they're going to fix it, the work is not yet done."

The settlement comes after a lengthy legal battle by Nassar's victims, including high-profile Olympic gymnasts such as Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman, to hold the FBI accountable for its failures. FBI Director Christopher Wray apologized to the survivors in 2021, acknowle

Key Takeaways

• $1B settlement reached with Nassar's sexual abuse victims
• FBI failed to properly investigate Nassar allegations in 2015
• Nassar abused dozens more victims during FBI's inaction
• Settlement acknowledges systemic failures that enabled abuse
• Victims seek accountability to prevent future failures