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Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Seven more sex assault claims filed against Coast Guard Academy
Attorneys representing former U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets filed seven more sexual assault complaints against the Coast Guard on Thursday, bringing to 29 the number of such complaints they've filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The latest complaints were filed on behalf of women who allege they were sexually assaulted while they were cadets at the academy in New London or, in one case, while attending the Naval Academy Preparatory School, or NAPS, in Newport, R.I. That cadet had been accepted to the Coast Guard Academy provided she first attend NAPS, according to court documents. Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, the national law firm representing the former cadets, provided redacted copies of their complaints. According to the firm, several of the cadets were sexually assaulted in their dorm rooms by classmates who entered with the help of an academy policy that prohibited cadets from locking their doors. One cadet woke up on several occasions during her tenure at the academy to find a drunk, naked male classmate lying on top of her, sexually assaulting her, the firm said. Another complaint details how a cadet was drugged while attending a party, accepted a ride home from fellow cadets and woke up the next morning having been raped. Another was repeatedly sexually assaulted in a single night while staying at an academy lieutenant's house with fellow cadets, the firm said. 'Additional Coast Guard Academy sexual assault survivors continue to reach out to me,' Christine Dunn, a Sanford Heisler attorney, said in a news release Thursday. 'I've heard story after story of the sexual violence they endured at the academy and how the academy turned a blind eye. The Coast Guard can no longer be allowed to sweep sexual assault under the rug.' The academy referred a request for comment to the Coast Guard's media relations office, where a spokesman said the Coast Guard had yet to receive the latest claims. In any event, federal law would prevent it from discussing them, the spokesman said. The Coast Guard will resolve these claims in accordance with the Federal Tort Claims Act and any other applicable law, he said. Sanford Heisler filed Thursday's tort claims as well as the 22 previous claims it filed last September and October against the Coast Guard; its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and its former parent agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation. The claims, each of which seeks $10 million in damages, are believed to be the first collective action by sexual violence survivors against a U.S. service academy. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, or FTCA, an individual can bring legal claims against federal agencies for torts, or wrongful acts, committed by their employees. Before filing an FTCA complaint in court, an individual must first file an administrative complaint with the agency at fault. The agency has six months to investigate the claim. The complaints against the Coast Guard have come in the wake of the service's mishandling of 'Operation Fouled Anchor,' its internal investigation of decades of sexual misconduct at the academy. CNN, the cable news network, revealed the existence of the report in 2023, prompting hearings and ongoing investigations by congressional panels. Adm. Linda Fagan, the former Coast Guard commandant, was removed from her post in January, soon after President Donald Trump's second inauguration, in part because of her handling of the 'Operation Fouled Anchor' scandal.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
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.
