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2 gymnasts allege sex abuse by doctor for USA Gymnastics

Posted at 9:51 AM, Sep 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-13 09:51:30-04

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two gymnasts, including a member of the 2000 U.S. women’s Olympic team, say they were sexually abused by a former longtime doctor for USA Gymnastics.

A civil lawsuit filed last week in California alleges that Dr. Larry Nassar sexually groped and fondled the teenage Olympian under the guise of physical therapy during her elite career.

The Olympian is identified as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit against Nassar, and her attorneys on Monday identified her only as a medal-winning member of the team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The second gymnast, Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, tells the Indianapolis Star newspaper that Nassar sexually abused her in 2000 when she was a 15-year-old undergoing treatment at Michigan State University, where Nassar is a faculty member.

Nassar’s lawyer, Matthew Borgula, tells The Associated Press that the doctor vehemently denies any wrongdoing.