A USA gymnastics lawsuit filed Thursday in Superior Court in Los Angeles has named prominent coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi as defendants, alleging that they turned a blind eye to sexual abuse by a team doctor.
The lawsuit, filed by an unnamed plaintiff, alleges that the Karolyis were more concerned with protecting their reputation and business at an elite training facility in Texas, thus hiding sexual and physical abuse allegations by gymnasts, according to the Indianapolis Star.
The plaintiff said she was an elite gymnast, a member of the U.S. women's national team from 2006 to 2011, and was a world team member in 2010, the Star wrote. In the lawsuit, she claimed she was abused by former team physician Dr. Larry Nassar over several years.
NBC News reported last month that the FBI was involved in an investigation targeting Nassar against charges that he abused young athletes under the guise of invasive medical exams. Nassar worked at Michigan State University before being fired Sept. 20. More than two dozen sexual abuse reports have been filed against him by former patients since the late 1990s, NBC News reported.
"As we have made clear, when USA Gymnastics first learned of athlete concerns regarding Dr. Nassar, we dismissed him from further involvement and reported those concerns to the FBI," USA Gymnastics said in a statement to the Star on Thursday.
"Still, the allegations that have been made are troubling. USA Gymnastics is committed to promoting a safe environment for our athletes. Due to the pending litigation and ongoing investigation, however, we are unable to comment further," the organization's statement added.
The lawsuit said that the Karolyis and the current and former presidents of USA Gymnastics "had knowledge of inappropriate conduct and molestations committed by (Nassar) before and during his employment, yet chose to allow him to remain unsupervised where he sexually abused plaintiff."
CBS News wrote that elite gymnast Dominique Moceanu, a member of the 1996 Olympic team, had charged that the Karolyis were verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive to her at times during her stellar career. She said the Karolyis criticizing her for her weight and body type, among other things, CBS News noted.
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