The USOC acknowledged for the first time Friday it may settle with victims of convicted sex abuser and former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. For now, the USOC has a motion pending in front of a California federal judge seeking to remove itself as a defendant in the victims’ lawsuits, filed last July on the basis that it did not have direct authority over Nassar. But the committee is reevaluating its litigation strategy since the law firm Ropes & Gray published its investigation into the USOC’s culpability, incoming BOD Chair Susanne Lyons said. “We are looking at all options, which would include at what time might it be appropriate to enter into discussions about settlement, or not,” Lyons said.
Bankruptcy is not under consideration, Lyons said. USA Gymnastics filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, expecting to pay out settlements to victims through that process, which stops all litigation against it. Separately, USOC officials said they will continue to pursue decertification of USAG, but a bankruptcy judge will decide whether that can proceed.
