Gold medal gymnast sues US Olympic Committee over sexual abuse

Two-time Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is suing the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), alleging that the organization either knew or should have known that former sports doctor Larry Nassar had molested young athletes for years.

Nassar pleaded guilty last year to molesting several young female athletes under the guise of medical treatment while working as a sports doctor at Michigan State University and for the USA Gymnastics national team.

He was sentenced last month to between 40 and 175 years in prison. While he has admitted to molesting at least 10 athletes, hundreds have accused him of such behavior.

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The case has raised questions about what the USOC knew about Nassar’s conduct.

The lawsuit filed by Raisman says that Nassar was allowed unrestricted access to athletes at competitions and at a training facility in Texas, according to NBC News. That facility, the Karolyi Ranch, shut down this year and the Texas Rangers are investigating abuse allegations there.

The lawsuit also alleges that a USA Gymnastics trainer was present at times when Nassar molested athletes, NBC News reported.

The USOC has denied that it knew about the allegations against Nassar before a report was published by the Indianapolis Star in 2016.

NBC News reported last month, however, that the USOC security chief received an email from USA Gymnastics in 2015 notifying him of the allegations. The USOC has said that the email was never shared with the rest of the organization.

USOC has launched what it has said is an independent, third-party investigation into the abuse, but Nassar’s victims have questioned whether such a probe will be conducted fairly.

USOC announced on Wednesday that its chief executive, Scott Blackmun, would be stepping down as the head of the organization. He held that position since 2010.

Blackmun faced backlash after the reports that the USOC knew of complaints against Nassar but did not act on them.

The USOC said Blackmun was resigning due to his ongoing battle with prostate cancer.