Details were made public on Thursday, revealing that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is opening up settlement talks with sexual assault survivors of former U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
The has FBI signaled that the agency is willing to possibly settle numerous lawsuits filed against the bureau after it is accused of failing to properly investigate Nassar, who was eventually convicted of sexual abuse charges, the New York Times reported.
In a letter addressed to legal teams representing women who've filed lawsuits against the FBI, it said the bureau was “interested in considering all options to reach a resolution, including settlement discussions.”
NPR reported that the news of the letter and outreach came after senior officials from the Department of Justice went to Capitol Hill on Thursday to give reasons for why they had chosen not to prosecute two former FBI agents after it was found that they failed to investigate the Nassar case properly.
John C. Manly, a lawyer representing many of the plaintiffs in the cases, would not comment on the matter.
Over 90 women filed civil lawsuits by June after finding out the Justice Department would not be prosecuting the former FBI agents who were found to have failed in their 2015 inquiry into Nassar. At the time, as the New York Timesreported, Manly said plaintiffs in the cases, who were seeking different amounts, collectively were asking for damages totaling some $1 billion.
