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McKayla Maroney files suit against MSU, US Olympic Committee

The complaint says MSU and the committee "failed to properly investigate, discipline or remove Olympic Team doctor Larry Nassar."
McKayla Maroney of USA gets ready to compete in the Womens Vault Qualification on Day Three of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Belgium 2013 held at the Antwerp Sports Palace on October 2, 2013 in Antwerpen, Belgium.

Olympic gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney has filed a lawsuit against Michigan State University and the United States Olympic Committee.

Her attorneys sent out a press release Wednesday, Dec. 20, saying MSU and the committee "failed to properly investigate, discipline or remove Olympic Team doctor Larry Nassar," who allegedly molested Maroney while she was a member of the USA National Gymnastics Team and the 2012 Olympic team.

It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn’t end until I left the sport. It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was 'treated.' It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and It happened before I won my Silver. -Statement from McKayla Maroney in October.

Nassar, who served as the MSU and OU Olympic team doctor for two decades, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct in Michigan state courts and was sentenced to 60 years in prison on federal child pornography charges on Dec. 7.

Nassar has been accused by more than 140 girls and women of molesting them by placing his un-gloved hand in their vaginas under the guise of medical treatment.

Maroney called her treatment by Nassar "horrible" and expressed her extreme frustration with MSU, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee in a letter to the federal judge who sentenced Nassar.

"A simple fact is this. If Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee had paid attention to any of the red flags in Larry Nassar’s behavior I never would have met him, I never would have been 'treated' by him and I never would have been abused by him,” Maroney said.

The suit also accuses USA Gymnastics of attempting to silence Maroney with a non-disclosure agreement.

According to the complaint, “…This settlement agreement, negotiated and/or signed by counsel for USAG…, was done so in direct violation of California Law, and for the purpose of silencing a known victim of Nassar.”

The lawsuit further alleges, “…McKayla Maroney was forced to agree to a non-disparagement clause and confidentiality provision, in the above-mentioned settlement agreement, that brought with it liquidated damages penalties of over $100,000, should she or other affiliated non-parties speak of her abuse or The Settlement.”

McKayla’s attorney, John Manly, said the confidentiality agreement was an "immoral and illegal attempt to silence a victim of child sexual abuse."

To read the full complaint, click here.

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