USA Gymnastics, USOPC reach $380M settlement with victims
The legal wrangling between
The fight for substantive change within the sport's national governing body is just beginning.
A federal bankruptcy court in
Over 90% of the victims, who number more than 500, voted in favor of the tentative agreement reached in September. That agreement called for
The financial fallout, however, is just one part of the equation. A series of nonmonetary provisions will make the victims stakeholders at
“Individually and collectively, survivors have stepped forward with bravery to advocate for enduring change in this sport,”
Hundreds of girls and women have said Nassar sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment when he worked for
He pleaded guilty in federal court to child pornography crimes before pleading guilty in state court to sexually assaulting female gymnasts, and he was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison.
“It’s not about money, it’s about change," Denhollander told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Monday. "It’s about an accurate assessment of what went wrong so that it is safer for the next generation.”
Denhollander has been one of the most outspoken Nassar victims from the outset of the scandal. She said it was important to move past the legal proceedings so women can move forward with their lives and get the help they need.
“The frank reality is the longer this goes on, the more difficult it is for survivors,” she said. “So many of these women, they can’t access medical care without a settlement. We had to balance that reality with the length of time it was taking. We felt it was in the best interest of everyone to accept this settlement ... so that survivors would receive some semblance of justice.”
Denhollander pointed out some of the medical care required is not covered by certain types of insurance. The settlement will ease part of the financial burden.
The settlement comes nearly four years after an emotional sentencing hearing in
“We prevailed for one simple reason, the courage and tenacity of the survivors,” attorney
Denhollander described the five-plus years from when she first approached reporters at the
“It’s been hellish for all of us,” she said. “To have to push for so long for the right things to take place, to have to push for so long to have justice happen ... it should have never taken five years.”
The organization has undergone a massive leadership overhaul in the interim and the settlement will allow it to continue in that capacity going forward.
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