DOJ will pay Larry Nassar victims $138.7M to resolve FBI negligence claims

Hundreds of victims of sexual predator and former USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar will receive a collective $138.7 million to resolve 139 claims over alleged FBI negligence, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Nassar spent decades abusing young athletes, including Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, before their complaints got any traction. Early filings with the FBI brought no action, and the complaints languished for months, during which even more girls and young women were abused.

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US Olympic gymnasts (L-R) Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols, arrive to testify during a Senate Judiciary hearing about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI handling of the Larry Nassar investigation of sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts, on Capitol Hill, September 15, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The disgraced physician worked at Michigan State University and was the team doctor for USA Gymnastics until being fired once the allegations became public. Investigators also found child sex abuse images, adding to the charges for which he is now serving a life sentence.

The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General released a damning report in 2021 that found FBI officials in the Indianapolis Field Office had “failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required.”

“For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability,” Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement. “These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing.”

DOJ has approved the claims, which were hinted at last week in a report published in The Wall Street Journal.

The first victim to step up, Rachael Denhollander, was not part of the settlement but nonetheless welcomed the news.

“I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see. Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”