Suit against USA Gymnastics seeks help for abused gymnasts

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A new lawsuit seeks to protect potentially thousands of abused gymnasts who might not have known about a deadline for filing claims against USA Gymnastics in the embattled group’s ongoing bankruptcy .

The federal lawsuit filed Monday in Indianapolis alleges USA Gymnastics knows or should know the identities of many abuse survivors who hadn’t filed claims by Monday’s deadline in the bankruptcy case.

The Indianapolis Star reports the suit alleges those survivors include dozens of people identified in secret files kept by the Indianapolis-based organization.

The suit states that it’s aimed at protecting the claims of people sexually abused by someone other than former sports doctor Larry Nassar , who was sentenced to decades to prison for molesting girls and young women.

USA Gymnastics hasn’t responded to a message seeking comment Tuesday.