Gymnast Aly Raisman sues USOC, USA Gymnastics over sex abuse

March 2 (UPI) -- Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Aly Raisman has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics over sexual abuses by team doctor Larry Nassar, her attorneys said Friday.

Raisman, 23, said in court documents the USOC knew or should have known that Nassar molested her while giving medical treatment.

The suit says Nassar assaulted Raisman several times between 2010 and 2015, including at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London when he worked for USA Gymnastics. Raisman's gymnastics teammates at the 2012 Games -- Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney -- are among 260 girls and women who have accused Nassar of sexual abuse.

A male gymnast, Jacob Moore, joined a federal lawsuit against the USOC and USA Gymnastics earlier this week, saying Nassar used acupuncture needles near his genitals to address a shoulder injury.

"It has become painfully clear that these organizations have no intention of properly addressing this problem," Raisman said in a statement. "Without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented. Meanwhile, thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system."

"After all this time, [the USOC and USA Gymnastics] remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation. ... 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."

The suit says Nassar, 54, placed his bare hand on Raisman's genitals for pain relief. The method of abuse was similarly described in police reports, lawsuits and public statements by other plaintiffs against Nassar. It also says Nassar had complete access to the gymnasts as they trained at the Karolyi Ranch, a Texas facility owned by noted coaches Bela and Martha Koroli, and at competitions around the world.

Attorney John Manly, who represents Raisman and other accusers, said in a statement that the USOC and USA Gymnastics led "a conspiracy to silence victims and cover-up the largest child sex abuse scandal in history."

USA Gymnastics has said it first learned of alleged abuse in 2015, and informed the FBI. It said there had been little progress in the investigation when the organization reported more cases the following year.

In 2017, Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. In January, he was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of a minor. Weeks later, he was sentenced to an additional 40 to 125 years in prison on three other counts of sexual assault.