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The Justice Department has reached a $138.7 million settlement with survivors of Larry Nassar's abuse for failing to properly investigate complaints about his conduct early on.
The settlement applies to 139 claims against the FBI, and it follows internal probes that found a host of errors in the agency's response to allegations about the disgraced U.S. gymnastics team's doctor.
"These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset," acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement announcing the settlement. "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."
Young girls treated by Nassar had reported his abusive conduct to various authorities since the late 1990s. The FBI received reports about Nassar in 2015, but the agency failed to take proper action, allowing his sexual abuse of young athletes to go uninvestigated until allegations about his conduct were made public through an Indianapolis Star investigation in September 2016.
“We are proud to have achieved a monumental settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, that not only secures the recovery the survivors deserve but also holds the DOJ and FBI accountable for their failures,” lawyers who represented 77 of the victims said in a statement.
Nassar abused more than 500 girls and women throughout his career. Some of USA Gymnastics' most prominent athletes, including Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, are among those who testified about being subjected to his abuse.
The Justice Department's settlement is the third such restitution to Nassar's victims by institutions that failed to protect or properly investigate allegations against him. Michigan State University, which employed him for nearly 20 years as a team physician, agreed to a $500 million settlement in 2018 with women and girls who were assaulted by him. In 2021, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee also agreed to pay his victims $380 million.
Nassar is currently serving a 60-year sentence on a federal conviction, in addition to two concurrent sentences for state convictions in Michigan. Given the lengths of his sentences, Nassar is likely to remain behind bars for the rest of his life.