Larry Nassar is asking a judge to shut down Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman‘s request to question him behind bars.
The convicted sex abuser wrote a letter, reportedly in all capital letters, to the federal judge presiding over Raisman’s ongoing civil lawsuit against Nassar, The Blast reports. He filed the letter Tuesday in response to Raisman’s request to allow her to depose him while he serves time in a federal prison in Coleman, Florida.
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In the letter, he reportedly argued that he is still currently appealing the prison sentences ordered by Michigan’s Ingham and Eaton County courts and would therefore invoke his fifth amendment privilege if he were ordered to appear for Raisman’s deposition.
The Blast reports that he signed the letter as both Larry Nassar and Lawrence Nassar.
As previously reported, Raisman is seeking new information about “where Nassar’s molests occurred, how many times, who knew about those molests [and] when those individuals learned about those molests.” The deposition request comes as part of her civil lawsuit against Nassar, the United States Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics and others she holds responsible for the repeated abuse of dozens of gymnasts.
The judge involved has not yet decided on whether Raisman can depose Nassar.
USA Gymnastics filed court documents in response to Raisman’s efforts, praising her courage but arguing that the organization is not to blame for the abuse she suffered at Nassar’s hands.
“This case arises from despicable acts of criminal sexual abuse perpetrated by former physician and now-convicted felon Larry Nassar on Olympic gymnast, Alexandra Raisman,” USA Gymnastics said, adding that it does not question whether Nassar inflicted physical and emotional pain on her. It praised her “tremendous strength and courage” in response to his actions.
But it argued that California law says that only the perpetrator can be held liable for sexual harassment claims and that Raisman failed to provide specific evidence that USAG officials had prior knowledge of his abuse.
In the week that followed USAG’s statement denying it had any knowledge of Nassar’s actions, Steve Penny, the former president of the organization, was arrested for allegedly tampering with evidence in Nassar’s investigation.
Penny was accused of removing documents that were related to Nassar’s activity at Karolyi Ranch in Texas, which served as the training facility for the U.S. national team from 2001 until 2018. Prosecutors say Penny removed the documents with “the purpose of impairing the ongoing investigation by destroying or hiding the documents” after he learned there was an investigation against Nassar.
He was arrested nearly three weeks after he was indicted by a grand jury for tampering with evidence. If convicted, he could face 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct and child pornography. He also faces an additional sentencing of 40-175 years for separate charges of sexual assault.
