“Gymnast sexual assault investigation delayed”… U.S. government reaches 190 billion won settlement with victims

Former national team doctor admits responsibility for delaying FBI investigation in Nassar case

The total settlement amount for lawsuits filed by hundreds of victims with related organizations exceeds KRW 1 trillion.

(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Mina Lim = The U.S. government has agreed to pay a total settlement of more than $100 million in a lawsuit filed against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by victims of sexual assault by the U.S. national gymnastics team doctor.

On the 23rd (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice awarded a total of $138.7 million (approximately KRW 190.9 billion) to settle 139 lawsuits filed against the FBI by sexual assault victims of Larry Nassar (60), who worked as the gymnastics team’s doctor. ) announced that they had agreed on the terms of paying the amount to the victims.

“Nasar’s allegations should have been taken seriously from the beginning,” the Justice Department said. “While this settlement will not undo the damage Nassar has done, we hope it will help provide crime victims with the support they need for continued healing.” “he said.

Previously, victims including American women’s gymnastics ace Simone Biles and London Olympics gold medalist McKayla Maroney filed a lawsuit in 2022 claiming that the damage continued because the FBI did not properly investigate Nassar’s crimes even after it was made aware of them. did.

Nassar, who had worked as the national team doctor since 1986, repeatedly committed sexual crimes against female athletes.

The FBI first became aware of Nassar’s crimes and began its investigation in July 2015, but the investigation was delayed and the actual indictment was not carried out until November 2016.

In particular, it was revealed that the FBI agent who listened to victim Maroney’s statement in 2015, at the beginning of the investigation, did not write a statement until 2017, after Nassar was indicted.

At a U.S. Senate hearing held in September 2021, Maroney testified that although it was mentally difficult for her to tell FBI agents that she was a victim of a sexual crime, it was more painful for the FBI to ignore her statement.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General also released a report in July 2021 criticizing the FBI’s response to Nassar’s allegations and certain aspects of its investigation.

Not only the FBI, but also the USA Gymnastics Association and the United States Olympic Committee paid a total of $380 million (approximately KRW 522.8 billion) in settlements in December 2021 after being sued by over 500 victims for their responsibility for neglecting Nassar’s crimes. The lawsuit was closed under the following conditions.

According to the Associated Press, Michigan State University, where Nassar worked for several years and committed crimes, also agreed to pay $500 million (about 688 billion won) to about 300 victims for its negligence.

Mick Grewal, an attorney representing 44 victims, emphasized that the total settlement of Nassar-related lawsuits reaching $1 billion (approximately 1.376 trillion won) shows that “a shocking tragedy has occurred.”

Nassar is serving 60 years in prison and up to 175 years in prison for federal crimes and violations of Michigan state law in 2018.

[email protected]

Report via KakaoTalk okjebo
< em>
Unauthorized reproduction/redistribution, AI learning and use prohibited>
2024/04/24 03:35 Sent