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Two Larry Nassar victims sue USA Gymnastics, U.S. Olympic Committee

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Tasha and Jordan Schwikert filed suit against USAG and the USOC. (AP photo)
Tasha and Jordan Schwikert filed suit against USAG and the USOC. (AP photo)

Two of Larry Nassar’s victims have filed lawsuits in Los Angeles against the disgraced doctor, seeking damages under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

The Orange County Register reported that Tasha and Jordan Schwikert have also filed suits against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for “sexual assault and battery, negligence, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Steve Penny implicated in suit

The suits also contain accusations against former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny who resigned in March 2017.

Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny was accused of actively concealing evidence in the two lawsuits filed against USA gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny was accused of actively concealing evidence in the two lawsuits filed against USA gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Penny had been arrested earlier this month for felony charges of tampering with evidence related to the Nassar scandal. He was alleged to have had evidence from the Karolyi ranch in the middle of the investigation which has not yet been recovered.

If convicted, Penny faces between two and 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

The Schwikerts state that Penny “actively concealed the rampant allegations of sexual violence and abuse.” It also stated that Penny “knowingly failed to prevent foreseeable future instances of the abuse.”

Details of abuse

Former Olympic gymnast Tasha Schwikert, left, answers questions from the media as she is joined by sister, Jordan, who was also a member of the national team. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Former Olympic gymnast Tasha Schwikert, left, answers questions from the media as she is joined by sister, Jordan, who was also a member of the national team. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Schwikerts were both members of the U.S. national team when Nassar began abusing them.

In the lawsuits, the sisters state that Nassar began abusing Tasha Schwikert, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, when she was 15 years old.

Tasha Schwikert, 33, estimated that Nassar had abused her more than 100 times between the ages of 15 and 19 as she was preparing for the Olympic Games.

Younger sister Jordan said that Nassar’s abuse began at the 2001 U.S. Classic when she was 14. She said that Nassar touched her vagina while treating her for hamstring and thigh injuries. He would abuse her on “at least 15 separate occasions” according to Jordan Schwikert’s lawsuit.

In a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times, USA Gymnastics said it’s “deeply sorry that Tasha and Jordan Schwikert, or any athlete, were abused by Larry Nassar during their gymnastics careers.”

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