7 more sexual assault complaints filed against U.S. Coast Guard
NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) — Seven new sexual assault complaints have been filed against the United States Coast Guard, according to attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight on Thursday.
These new filings join 22 similar Federal Tort Claims Act complaints filed last fall, all from former Academy cadets who say they survived sexual assault while they were cadets or prospective cadets of the Academy in New London.
Blumenthal releases report on 'Operation Fouled Anchor,' Coast Guard coverup
The alleged victims are represented in part by attorney Christine Dunn, who said additional sexual assault survivors continue to reach out to her.
'I've heard story after story of the sexual violence they endured at the Academy and how the Academy turned a blind eye,' Dunn said in a statement.
'The Coast Guard can no longer be allowed to sweep sexual assault under the rug. My clients are standing together and demanding that the Coast Guard be held accountable for allowing a culture to flourish at the Academy where sexual assault was condoned,' Dunn continued.
Coast Guard whistleblowers testify at Connecticut hearing about sexual assault coverup
The filings claim the Coast Guard failed to implement adequate policies and practices and instead allowed sexual violence to go unchecked, condoned and actively concealed the behavior, and knowingly placed the victims and other cadets in danger.
Some of the complaints detail alleged assaults in their dorm rooms, by classmates who entered without permission, which attorneys said was enabled by a policy preventing cadets from locking their doors.
According to attorneys, one complaint said they woke up on several occasions during their time at the Academy to find a drunk, naked male classmate lying on top of her, sexually assaulting her.
Another alleged victim said they were drugged while attending a party and let fellow cadets drive them home, but woke up the next morning having been raped.
First female Coast Guard commandant ousted over 'leadership deficiencies, operational failures'
They said another complain described being repeatedly sexually assaulted in one night while staying with fellow cadets at an Academy Lieutenant's house.
In January, Admiral Linda Fagan, the former Commandant of the Coast Guard, was ousted by the Trump administration because of her 'leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and inability to advance the strategic objectives of the U.S. Coast Guard.'
The move was in part because of her role in the continued cover up of 'Operation Fouled Anchor,' a secret internal Coast Guard investigation that looked into the mishandling of dozens of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy over decades.
A bipartisan bill called the 'Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025' was introduced in Congress this February. It proposed new regulations relating to cadet safety, including mandating the Academy install electronic locking mechanisms to secure rooms.
News 8 has reached out to the Coast Guard for comment.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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