Aly Raisman Keeps the Fire Burning by Suing the United States Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics

Aly Raisman was one of the staggering number of women and girls who testified about the abuse they suffered while under treatment from Dr. Larry Nassar. Now, Raisman is continuing to hold the people who allowed that abuse accountable with a lawsuit against the United States Olympic Committee.

During her testimony in the Nassar trial, the Olympic Gold-winning gymnast demanded the resignation of the USA Gymnastics board and called out USOC for failing to send a representative to the court room, leading the organization to eventually apologize. But now that she’s slapping them with a lawsuit filed in California, the organizations will be forced to do more than provide too little-too late lip service. From her statement on the lawsuit (via NBC News):

“After all this time, they remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation, and without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented,” Raisman said in a statement. “I refuse to wait any longer for these organizations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed.”

According to Buzzfeed News, the lawsuit alleges that gymnasts were abused by Nassar at Karolyi Ranch, the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center. Some of this abuse was allegedly witnessed by a USA Gymnastics trainer, who would observe as he digitally penetrated the girls. They were told it was “intravaginal therapy,” and Nassar is alleged to have had a visible erection at times.

The suit also accuses USA Gymnastics of ignoring a report of abuse from gymnast Maggie Nichols in 2015 for over a month before finally reporting Nassar to the FBI, and further failed to report him to Michigan State University, where he continued to work. The USOC has claimed it only heard of the allegations against Nassar following a report from the Indy Star in 2016.