Suit: MSU Knew About Video of Nassar Raping Teen in 1992

Former athletic director George Perles accused in cover-up
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 12, 2018 11:05 AM CDT
Suit: MSU Knew About Video of Nassar Raping Teen in 1992
Larry Nassar appears in Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Mich., on Feb. 2, 2018.   (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Michigan State University had knowledge of a videotape showing Larry Nassar raping a 17-year-old field hockey player some 25 years before his downfall, according to a new lawsuit. The federal suit filed Monday on behalf of several plaintiffs specifically describes Erika Davis visiting the MSU sports doctor for help with a knee injury in 1992, reports ESPN. Nasser fondled and licked the virgin's breasts during an initial examination, videotaped by another man, then raped her on camera during a "full exam" a week later with use of a drug that made her "woozy," the suit states, per NBC News. It adds Davis went to her coach, who received the video from Nassar but was forced to return it, resign, and sign a nondisclosure agreement by athletic director George Perles, now a MSU trustee.

Davis, who became pregnant and suffered a miscarriage, lost a scholarship after pressing university police to take up the case, the suit claims. Seeking more than $75,000 for each plaintiff involved in allegations against Nassar, MSU, its board of trustees, USA Gymnastics, and others, the suit claims Davis was told "George Perles is a 'powerful man,' and she should just drop it," per the Lansing State Journal. Apologizing for Nassar's overall behavior, MSU said Tuesday it's "taking the allegations very seriously and looking into the situation." Perles, however, has remained quiet since apologizing to abuse victims in January. "We're awful sorry for the trouble we've caused those poor women. And we will make sure to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said, per WOOD. (More Larry Nassar stories.)

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