A former lawn hockey player from Michigan State University filed a federal lawsuit on Monday accusing the former USA Gymnastics and MSU trainer Larry Nassar drugged and raped her during a medical examination in 1992.
Erika Davis was a 17-year-old freshman at MSU when she started seeing Nassar with a knee injury in 1992, according to court documents obtained by HuffPost. During an appointment, Nassar "crushed a pill" and made Davis drink it, assuring him it was for his injured knee. According to the lawsuit, Davis became sleepy and fainted.
"When she felt less dizzy shortly thereafter, Plaintiff Erika witnessed how Defendant Nassar violated her," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit says that before allegedly raping Davis, Nassar also subjected her to "inappropriate, non-consensual sexual contact, abuse and assault" under the pretext of medical treatment. Nassar filmed many of his sessions with Davis and told him that the video would be used for a medical study.
Nassar was a student at MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine during the time of the alleged violation and was not hired full-time by the MSU until 1997.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday, the last day that the Nassar prosecutors could file claims with MSU as part of the university's $ 500,000,000 settlement with more than 300 survivors.
Davis finally told his field hockey coach, Martha Ludwig, what had happened. Ludwig confronted Nassar in May 1992. According to court documents, Ludwig demanded the video that Nassar had of Davis and then complained to George Perles, the athletic director of MSU at the time. Perles is currently on the board of directors of the school.
Perles, who resigned as athletic director in 1992, "intervened," and Ludwig's denunciation of Nassar was dismissed. According to the lawsuit, Perles forced Ludwig to return the Davis assault video, resign and sign a confidentiality agreement.
Perles, 84, did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment and Ludwig could not be reached.
"This shows that not only the Respondent Michigan State University was aware that Defendant Nassar sexually abused and sexually assaulted minors, but also would do everything possible to hide this behavior, "says the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Davis later became pregnant and had a miscarriage. Davis said Nassar is the only person who could have been the father.
Davis' attorney, Brian McKeen, did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment.
MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant responded to the suit in a statement on Tuesday to HuffPost.
"We deeply regret the abuses that Larry Nassar has committed and the trauma experienced by all survivors of sexual assault, sexual abuse, assault and dating violence are not tolerated in the community of our campus." In this lawsuit they do not reflect how sexual assault claims are handled at MSU, we are taking the allegations very seriously and analyzing the situation, "he said.
"MSU is working diligently to create a community on campus where all members feel safe to study and work free from the threat of sexual misconduct and relationship violence," Guerrant continued. "At the same time, we want to make sure that when survivors of sexual assault or intimate partner violence come forward, they are treated with respect, listened to and that we provide adequate support throughout the reporting process."
In October 1992, Davis, along with some friends, reported the rape to the MSU police department, but was told that he had to inform the sports department since he was an athlete.
When Davis said he had informed the sports department and nothing happened, an MSU detective "explicitly told them that he could not investigate anything that happened in the sports department." According to the lawsuit, The sergeant told Davis that Perles is a "powerful man" and that he should simply quit.
Davis later lost her field hockey scholarship and currently suffers from anxiety and depression, including a suicide attempt a year after she says Nassar raped her. According to the lawsuit, Davis also avoided gynecological exams due to trauma. When he finally underwent a real gynecological examination, he discovered that he had been infected with the HPV virus at some point, which later caused cervical cancer.
"Defendant Nassar could have prevented hundreds of girls and women from being sexually assaulted by defendant Nassar if they had only acted appropriately, decently and legally," the lawsuit states.
Nassar is accused of sexually abusing more than 265 young women under the guise of medical treatment. He was sentenced to three concurrent prison sentences during the past year on charges of child pornography and child sexual abuse. Nassar has appealed his three sentences, all of which have been denied.
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