Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman is taking her fight against the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics over their handling of Larry Nassar to court.
The Needham native filed a lawsuit against both organizations this week, saying they "knew or should have" known about Nassar's abusive conduct. Nassar, who served as the medical director for USA Gymnastics for nearly three decades and worked at Michigan State University through 2016, was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after more than 150 women or girls said in court he sexually abused them.
The suit, which was filed in California, says USA Gymnastics and USOC endangered children and failed to live up to their stated mandate of protecting the athletes in their programs. "I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing," Raisman said in a statement, per the Associated Press. "It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed."
Raisman, 23, says Nassar sexually abused her for years while she was with USA Gymnastics. She delivered a powerful victim impact statement in court, telling Nassar it was time for him to take accountability for his monstrous behavior.
"Larry, you do realize now that we, this group of women you so heartlessly abused over such a long period of time, are now a force, and you are nothing," she said. "The tables have turned, Larry. We are here, we have our voices, and we are not going anywhere."
Captain of the gold-medal winning 2012 and 2016 U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams, Raisman says USA Gymnastics ignored her repeated complaints about Nassar.
"I was told to be quiet," Raisman said on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" in January.
More than 100 civil suits have been filed against Nassar and USA Gymnastics.
