McKayla Maroney accuses USA Gymnastics in lawsuit of 'systematic cover-up' of abuse by former team doctor
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty
- McKayla Maroney accused USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee of trying to cover up abuse by former team doctor Larry Nassar.
- The lawsuit claims that USA Gymnastics paid Maroney to not speak up about sexual abuse by Nassar.
- Nassar has been accused of sexual assault by over 130 women and has already pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual misconduct.
Former USA Gymnastics star McKayla Maroney filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the US Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics claiming the organizations tried to cover up the abuse by former team doctor Larry Nassar.
Nassar pleaded guilty to to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in November. He was accused of molesting more than 130 patients during his time as the team doctor and was also sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography charges.
Maroney, along with other USA Gymnastics stars Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, said they were sexually assaulted by Nassar.
According to ESPN, the lawsuit alleged that USA Gymnastics agreed to a deal with Maroney to keep her from speaking out about Nassar's abuse. The Wall Street Journal reported the deal paid her $1.25 million.
Maroney's attorney, John Manly, said on Wednesday (via ESPN), "They were willing to engage in a systematic cover-up of the entire matter ... [USAG] were willing to sacrifice the health and well-being of one of the most famous gymnasts in the world because they didn't want the world to know they were protecting a pedophile doctor."
Manly also said the USAG violated the law by trying to make Maroney agree to a confidentiality agreement over a child sex abuse case.
In October, Maroney put out a statement on Twitter detailing the abuse. Maroney said Nassar disguised the abuse as "medically necessary treatment."
"It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was 'treated,'" Maroney wrote.
Maroney described a story in which she was given sleeping pills on a flight to Tokyo, then woke up in Nassar's bedroom by herself with Nassar giving her "treatment."
"I thought I was going to die that night," Maroney wrote.
According to the lawsuit, Nassar would digitally penetrate Maroney under the guise of "treatment."
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