More women come forward with allegations towards MSU doctor

16 women to be exact

Two weeks have passed since the Indy Star initially released their article claiming that Michigan State Osteopathic Doctor, Larry Nassar had sexual abused and assaulted former team USA gymnasts. Since its release, 16 more women have come forward with the same complaints.

Five of the girls claim that Nassar touched them inappropriately while being seen for injuries. Two of them said that they were underage at the time. He had not yet been charged with anything and he denies any and all of the allegations made towards him. And four of the five said that they were penetrated with his fingers while having a medical examination.

Rachael Denhollander being interviewed by Indy Star

In a recorded interview, Nassar and his former attorney spoke to the Indy Star and said that Doctor Nassar never penetrated any of the girls during any of their examinations. However on Thursday, his new lawyers Shannon Smith and Mathew Newburg claimed that he may have used legitimate medical manipulations that involved penetration that under Michigan law are legal.

If you weren’t aware, Nassar was fired last Tuesday from Michigan State University after more allegations of abuses surfaced. He is most commonly known for his work with the USA gymnastics team. He worked with the program for 29 years and left last September. There are claims from alleged victims that say that USA gymnastics knew of the abuse and did nothing to stop it or to help the victims.

Police here in Michigan are looking into complaints against the doctor. One from 2004 and one from 2014. The Ingham Country prosectors office and Michigan State University haven’t given out an exact amount of more cases that have been opened against Nassar however the university police crime log shows that there have been several more complaints of criminal sexual penetration that reportedly occurred at the MSU sports medicine clinic, where Nassar worked. One of these complaints says that the crime took place at Nassar’s home. However the crime log does not list Nassar by name.

Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney with Doctor Nassar at a competition

The victims allegations don’t just start a couple of years ago. They go back almost two decades to 1996 and the newest complaint happened in 2014. There is one case claiming that a girl as young as 13 was being abused by Dr. Nassar and goes all the way up to age 20. Some of these victims continued to be treated by him even after the abuse took place.

When it does come to needing an transvaginal exam like the ones that Nassar’s lawyers claimed he used, they are very rare according to Indiana doctor of osteopathic medicine, Mark Cantieri. He claims that although these producers may occur, it is not often that they happen. The five women who spoke to the Indy Star said Nassar assaulted them with his finger when they were alone with him. They said his actions went far beyond slight penetration. One woman described the movement as sexual in nature. Four of the women said Nassar did not wear gloves. These “procedures” were obviously not just to check for injuries.

According to a legal expert who spoke to the Indy Star recently claimed that it can be difficult to prove the abuse because some of the cases happened so long ago and there is no hard evidence. This expert also claims that a large part of the claims are based on what is or is not a legitimate medical procedure. This leaves a lot of room for one to make assumptions about what Nassar’s intentions were during the exams and what the victim was interpreting. However it is now close to 20 women who claim that they were assaulted, so hopefully due justice will be served.

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