Latest news with #LarryNassar
National Post
7 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Online feud between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines takes turn with gymnast's 2017 post resurfacing
Article content 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,' she added later. Article content Gaines responded to Biles' comments, calling them 'disappointing' and standing behind her opinion. Article content 'This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,' she wrote. Article content 'You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Article content 'Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest.' Article content But that's when Gaines seriously turned up the heat, bringing up Biles' battle against disgraced U.S. gymnastics doctor and prolific sex criminal Larry Nassar. Article content 'All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet (she) believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings,' Gaines wrote. Article content All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings. You know how many gold medals you'd have if your "inclusive" dream came true? Zero. — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 7, 2025 Article content Article content 'You know how many gold medals you'd have if your 'inclusive' dream came true? Zero.' Article content Biles was involved in taking down Nassar, who is serving up to 175 years in prison for molesting her and hundreds of other female gymnasts. Article content
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Riley Gaines hits Simone Biles with ultimate comeback as she resurrects gymnast's horrific past in trans feud
Conservative activist Riley Gaines has fired back at Simone Biles with a pointed dig at the gymnast's harrowing past amid their bitter online feud surrounding transgender athletes' participating in women's sports. The USA Olympic hero, 28, launched a scathing attack on Gaines Friday night when she compared her to a man after the former swimmer criticized a Minnesota high school softball team for competing with a trans player. Gaines, 25, who has been one of the most outspoken voices against transgender athletes in women's sports, responded by referencing the horrific abuse Biles and other gymnasts suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar. 'All the horrific sexual abuse @Simmone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings,' the former collegiate swimmer posted on X following the gymnastics legend's attack. 'You know how many gold medals you'd have if your "inclusive" dream came true? Zero.' Gaines later doubled down, sharing a clip of Biles testifying before Senate about the abuse suffered at the hands of the former team doctor. Alongside it, she posted a screengrab of Biles' tweet. 'Simone Biles when she had to endure a predatory man Vs Simone Biles when other girls have to endure predatory men,' she wrote. Gaines, who tied for fifth with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, later clarified her position, insisting that she hopes Nassar 'spends the rest of his life rotting away and miserable in prison.' She said that the gymnasts were 'failed by a system that protected an abusive man at the expense of the girls' safety.' However, she claimed that female athletes were equally being failed by the same system amid the gender row sweeping through sport. Nassar was a leading doctor at Michigan State and with USA Gymnastics, but used his position within those organizations to sexually abuse young women under the guise of treatment at the now-closed Karolyi Ranch National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas. He was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material. The following year, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care. Biles publicly broke her silence in January 2018, revealing in a powerful tweet that she was one of Nassar's victims. In 2019, Biles revealed that the trauma of the assaults had left her struggling with suicidal thoughts. Gaines has forged a career as a political commentator for OutKick and Fox following her time as a swimmer, where she competed against trans athlete Lia Thomas. Her campaigning has won praise from Donald Trump, who welcomed her to the White House before signing the 'Keeping Men out of Women's Sports' executive order in February. On Friday, Gaines retweeted a picture of Minnesota team Champlin Park celebrating the state high school title that they won with transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger on the team. 'Comments off lol,' Gaines wrote in response to the post. 'To be expected when your star player is a boy.' Gaines clarified that hopes Nassar 'spends the rest of his life rotting away' in prison It sparked a blistering response from Biles, 28, who first criticized Gaines' view and then compared her appearance to a man. Biles wrote: 'You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. 'You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! 'But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' She then tweeted at Gaines again, saying: 'Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.' Gaines replied: 'This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest.' She continued: 'My take is the least controversial take on the planet. Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls' dreams? Didn't have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028.' Gaines then addressed Biles mocking her appearance, saying: 'And the subtle hint at "body-shaming" ???? Plzzzz I'm 5'5".' Sage Steele, the former ESPN reporter who has also been a vocal critic of trans athletes, backed Gaines up with a fiery tweet of her own. Biles attacked Gaines on X on Friday night after her latest remarks on trans athletes 'Easy to say this @Simone_Biles when you only had to compete against fellow women. Every one of your Olympic medals came competing against fellow women,' Steele wrote. 'Riley Gaines was not only forced to compete against a man, but forced to share a locker room with a man. THAT is SICK. Shocked and disappointed that you'd attack another woman who has done nothing but uplift other women. 'If YOU think it makes sense to create a league for trans people, go for it! Use that huge platform of yours! But to attack Riley for what she has done for little girls who want to be the next Simone Biles is……..sick.' Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, also gave a savage reply to a Trump voter that wrote back to her: 'Simone, there is a reason they have rings in men's gymnastics, and not women's. Male athletes have a biological advantage over female athletes. That will never changes.' Biles wrote back: 'Can you even read? I see we are lacking comprehension skills as well…..' The gymnast has offered no further comment other than to retweet her original post calling Gaines 'sick'. The issue of trans athletes in sports has been a bigger talking point in the US this week with the Minnesota high school team reaching the state championships. Rothenberger is biologically male. At nine, Rothenberger's mother applied in district court to alter her child's birth certificate after their ninth birthday, with the petition being approved, per Reduxx. Rothenberger was issued a new birth certificate showing to be born female, switching their name from 'Charlie Dean' to Marissa.
Associated Press
04-04-2025
- Associated Press
A list of largest settlements reached by organizations and victims of sexual abuse
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County has reached a $4 billion agreement to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959. Officials say the agreement still needs approval from the Los Angeles County board of supervisors. It would be the largest such settlement in U.S. history. Here is a list of the largest settlements reached in recent years by organizations and victims of sexual abuse: 2024 The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $800 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse, bringing the total payout the Los Angeles archdiocese, which covers Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, to more than $1.5 billion. 2022 The Boy Scouts of America reached a $2.6 billion agreement with more than 80,000 men who said they were molested as children by Scout leaders and others. At the time, it was the largest aggregate sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history. 2021 The University of Southern California agreed to an $852 million settlement with more than 700 women who accused the college's longtime campus gynecologist of sexual abuse. When combined with an earlier settlement of a separate class-action suit, USC agreed to pay out more than $1 billion for claims against Dr. George Tyndall, who worked at the school for nearly three decades. 2018 Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million to settle claims from more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar. Separately, the U.S. Justice Department agreed to a $138.7 million settlement with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Nassar in 2015 and 2016. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced a $210 million settlement with 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse as part of its plan for bankruptcy reorganization. 2007 $198 million to settle 400 lawsuits alleging priests and others sexually abused children.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
In unprecedented payout, L.A. County will settle sex abuse claims for $4 billion
Los Angeles County plans to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of childhood sexual abuse that allegedly occurred inside its juvenile facilities and foster homes, dwarfing the largest sex abuse settlements in U.S. history. The mammoth settlement, which still needs to be approved by both the county claims board and county supervisors, is a billion dollars more than what county officials had anticipated as the worst-case scenario to resolve a flurry of lawsuits — and far more than other organizations notorious for allowing unchecked sex abuse have paid victims. The Boy Scouts of America, by comparison, agreed to pay $2.46 billion. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out about $1.5 billion for alleged abuse at the hands of Catholic priests. Victims of USC gynecologist George Tyndall got $1.1 billion. Michigan State University paid $500 million to victims of team doctor Larry Nassar. The unprecedented settlement stems from AB 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to sue, even though the statute of limitations had expired. Many California counties, which are responsible for the care of children in foster homes and juvenile halls, saw an uptick in lawsuits. For L.A. County, it was a deluge that still hasn't stopped. Thousands of men and women came forward to say they had been molested or raped by probation officials decades ago while incarcerated as children in the county's sprawling network of juvenile halls and camps. Thousands more alleged sexual abuse at the now-shuttered MacLaren Children's Center, a county-run home for foster children that plaintiffs' attorneys have compared to a 'house of horrors.' A report found that the facility went decades without doing criminal background checks on its staff. Taken together, the thousands of lawsuits, most of which involve alleged abuse from the 1980s through the 2000s, paint a picture of a government that failed to intervene as its facilities turned into hunting grounds for predators, who held immense power over the children in their custody. 'On behalf of the county, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,' said L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport in a statement. She said the county has worked in recent years to crack down on sexual abuse of minors. Improvements touted by the county include bolstering the vetting of foster parents and probation staffers and winding down the use of group homes like MacLaren Children's Center. Davenport made headlines in 2023 when she estimated in a public budget hearing that the county could be looking at $1.6 billion to $3 billion in liability for the roughly 3,000 sex abuse claims it expected. Her estimate was met with shock and a dash of skepticism from seasoned attorneys suing the county, who said it would blow any previous sex abuse payout out of the water. Since then, thousands of additional victims have sued, with more coming forward every month. In addition to creating a three-year window for victims, which closed at the end of 2023, the new state law let plaintiffs sue if they were under the age of 40 or had recently discovered the abuse they suffered as children. The county said the $4-billion settlement covers most — but not all — of the childhood sexual abuse lawsuits. Some attorneys were not willing to participate in the 'global mediation process,' and negotiations are underway with plaintiffs in those cases, according to the county. Patrick McNicholas, whose law firm is representing 1,200 plaintiffs, said he was mindful during settlement discussions to reach for a number that would bring some justice to the thousands of victims without bankrupting the county, which serves as the region's social safety net. He reasoned that the government could stay solvent with a $4-billion payout — and yet it was still the largest sex abuse payout he has ever heard of. 'This is a historic settlement,' he said, noting that he couldn't find a larger sex abuse settlement anywhere in the world. 'It recognizes the horrific harm that has been done.' The $4-billion payout will be a huge blow to a county already in tumultuous financial waters, thanks to threats of funding cuts from the Trump White House and the cost of recovering from the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires. Davenport has warned that the county government, which has a roughly $49-billion budget, could face 'a fiscal crisis' unless hiring is frozen. County officials have said the money will come from draining the county's rainy day fund, slashing department budgets and taking out bonds. The county is expected to owe hundreds of millions of dollars in interest on those bonds, which have to be paid off by 2051. The county said it will pay out the settlement money between January 2026 and Jan. 30, 2030, providing the billions to 'independent allocators' who will decide how to divvy it up among the roughly 6,800 plaintiffs. There have been few criminal prosecutions of county staffers accused of abuse in the lawsuits. The probation department presented the L.A. County district attorney's office with evidence against two staff members, Thomas Jackson and Altovise Abner, in December 2023. The status of those cases was not immediately available. Some of the employees accused of being the most prolific abusers were on the county payroll until recently. Jackson resigned from the probation department in fall 2023, ending a 33-year career during which at least 20 women accused him of sexually abused them when they were girls. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
04-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
In unprecedented payout, L.A. County will settle sex abuse claims for $4 billion
Los Angeles County plans to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of childhood sexual abuse that allegedly occurred in its juvenile facilities, dwarfing the largest sex abuse settlements in U.S. history. The mammoth settlement, which still needs to be approved by both the county claims board and county supervisors, is a billion dollars more than what county officials had anticipated as the worst-case scenario to resolve a flurry of lawsuits — and far more than other organizations notorious for allowing unchecked sex abuse have paid victims. The Boy Scouts of America, by comparison, agreed to pay $2.46 billion. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out about $1.5 billion for alleged abuse at the hands of Catholic priests. Victims of USC gynecologist George Tyndall got $1.1 billion. Michigan State University paid $500 million to victims of team doctor Larry Nassar. The unprecedented settlement stems from AB 218, a 2020 state law that gave victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to sue, even though the statute of limitations had expired. Many California counties, which are responsible for the care of children in foster homes and juvenile halls, saw an uptick in lawsuits. For L.A. County, it was a deluge that still hasn't stopped. Thousands of men and women came forward to say they had been molested or raped by probation officials decades ago while incarcerated as children in the county's sprawling network of juvenile halls and camps. Thousands more alleged sexual abuse at the now-shuttered MacLaren Children's Center, a county-run home for foster children that plaintiffs' attorneys have compared to a 'house of horrors.' A report found that the facility went decades without doing criminal background checks on its staff. Taken together, the thousands of lawsuits, most of which involve alleged abuse from the 1980s through the 2000s, paint a picture of a government that failed to intervene as its facilities turned into hunting grounds for predators, who held immense power over the children in their custody. 'On behalf of the county, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,' said L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport in a statement. She said the county has worked in recent years to crack down on sexual abuse of minors. Improvements touted by the county include bolstering the vetting of foster parents and probation staffers and winding down the use of group homes like MacLaren Children's Center. Davenport made headlines in 2023 when she estimated in a public budget hearing that the county could be looking at $1.6 billion to $3 billion in liability for the roughly 3,000 sex abuse claims it expected. Her estimate was met with shock and a dash of skepticism from seasoned attorneys suing the county, who said it would blow any previous sex abuse payout out of the water. Since then, thousands of additional victims have sued, with more coming forward every month. In addition to creating a three-year window for victims, which closed at the end of 2023, the new state law let plaintiffs sue if they were under the age of 40 or had recently discovered the abuse they suffered as children. The county said the $4-billion settlement covers most — but not all — of the childhood sexual abuse lawsuits. Some attorneys were not willing to participate in the 'global mediation process,' and plaintiffs in those cases will be part of a separate settlement, according to the county. Patrick McNicholas, whose law firm is representing 1,200 plaintiffs, said he was mindful during settlement discussions to reach for a number that would bring some justice to the thousands of victims without bankrupting the county, which serves as the region's social safety net. He reasoned that the government could stay solvent with a $4-billion payout — and yet it was still the largest sex abuse payout he has ever heard of. 'This is a historic settlement,' he said, noting that he couldn't find a larger sex abuse settlement anywhere in the world. 'It recognizes the horrific harm that has been done.' The $4-billion payout will be a huge blow to a county already in tumultuous financial waters, thanks to threats of funding cuts from the Trump White House and the cost of recovering from the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires. Davenport has warned that the county government, which has a roughly $49-billion budget, could face 'a fiscal crisis' unless hiring is frozen. County officials have said the money will come from draining the county's rainy day fund, slashing department budgets and taking out bonds. The county is expected to owe hundreds of millions of dollars in interest on those bonds, which have to be paid off by 2051. The county said it will pay out the settlement money between January 2026 and Jan. 30, 2030, providing the billions to 'independent allocators' who will decide how to divvy it up among the roughly 6,800 plaintiffs. There have been few criminal prosecutions of county staffers accused of abuse in the lawsuits. The probation department presented the L.A. County district attorney's office with evidence against two staff members, Thomas Jackson and Altovise Abner, in December 2023. The status of those cases was not immediately available. Some of the employees accused of being the most prolific abusers were on the county payroll until recently. Jackson resigned from the probation department in fall 2023, ending a 33-year career during which at least 20 women accused him of sexually abused them when they were girls.
