USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday afternoon, a move it says will help resolve lawsuits stemming from Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse but one it’s also counting on to hold off the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The filing, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, stays all “pending actions” against the governing body. That includes the 100 lawsuits filed by more than 350 Nassar survivors as well as the USOC’s Section 8 complaint to strip USA Gymnastics of its status as the national governing body.
“Our board has been talking about this bankruptcy strategy for a while now -- well before the Section 8 complaint was filed,” said Kathryn Carson, chair of the USA Gymnastics board.