USOC file to remove themselves from Aly Raisman lawsuit

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have filed to remove themselves as defendants in the lawsuit filed by two-time Olympic gymnast and six-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman. Raisman, 24, filed a lawsuit against the USOC for their role in the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal.

In her lawsuit, the 24-year-old Needham, Massachusetts native, who has been an outspoken critic of the USOC, contends that the USOC should have done more when they found out about what Nassar was doing.

According to NBC Sports, the USOC claim that they should be part of “discussions concerning moral and social responsibility for sexual abuse, including legitimate questions about what could have been done to recognize and stop Nassar’s abuse."

However, the umbrella organization for USA Gymnastics among other National Governing Body members for other individual sports also contend that they should not be held responsible for what Nassar did as a result of the fact that he never worked for them. They also contend this because and his actions were not foreseeable.

The USOC have also filed to dismiss themselves from lawsuits files against them pertaining to the Nassar scandal by 2012 Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney and Jordyn Wieber.

Here is what USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

“Our filing addresses an entirely different question, namely the legal responsibility for Nassar’s crimes."

USOC filed a response seeking to dismiss Raisman's lawsuit in addition to the lawsuits of Maroney and Wieber. Here is some of what they had to say, according to The Blast.

“Nassar was a full-time employee of Michigan State University and working as the USA Gymnastics team doctor. Both of these organizations are separate and independent from the United States Olympic Committee, which neither employed nor controlled Nassar.”

"A defendant has no duty to protect against the criminal acts of a third party absent a special relationship. Here, the Complaint fails to allege the basis of a special relationship between Plaintiff and USOC.”

"The Complaint fails to allege any of the requisite mental states which range from an intent to aid Nassar (Masha’s Law), an intent to deceive Plaintiff (constructive fraud), or recklessness as to Nassar’s behavior (intentional infliction of emotional distress). In fact, the Complaint expressly states that USOC was not even aware of Nassar’s misconduct until USA Gymnastics terminated its relationship with him and reported him to law enforcement in 2015.”

Nassar, the 54-year-old disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician, has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 300 people, many of whom female gymnasts, under the guise of medical treatments for more than two decades.

Nassar is currently serving a 60-year federal prison sentence at United States Penitentiary, Tucson in Tucson, Arizona. He was issued this prison sentence this past December on three child pornography charges.

Nassar was also sentenced in January to between 40 and 175 years in state prison on seven sexual assault charges following a seven-day sentencing hearing that took place in an Ingham County, Michigan courtroom. Raisman delivered her victim impact statement in front of Nassar himself during this hearing, and she is one of 169 people who did so.

In February, Nassar was issued his third sentence, a state prison sentence for between 40 and 125 more years on three additional sexual assault charges. He was issued this sentence following a three-day sentencing hearing in an Eaton County, Michigan courtroom during which 65 more people delivered victim impact statements in front of him.

Last month, Nassar was also charged with six counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Texas. However, there has not been any extra time added to any of his three lengthy prison sentences as a result of these six charges.