Nine former Coast Guard cadets join legal battle, seeking $10 million each for service’s failure to prevent sexual assault

Another nine former Coast Guard Academy cadets are seeking $10 million each from the agency, alleging that officials condoned and actively concealed the rampant nature of sexual abuse and harassment of students, knowingly endangering them and others. according to legal documents filed Wednesday. .

They join thirteen other former cadets who have made similar claims last monthall of which describe sexual misconduct that went unchecked on the campus in New London, Connecticut. Each claim is filed separately by 19 women, two men and one non-binary person.

“The Coast Guard has been using the same playbook for decades: delay, deny and wait for survivors to give up,” said Ryan Melogy, an attorney for the group. “But these brave individuals have found their collective voice and are demanding real accountability. The old playbook of stonewalling and silence will not work against clients who are so determined to see real change.”

Service officials said they were aware of the additional claims, but federal law prohibits discussing details and reiterated a statement offered last month.

“Sexual assault and sexual harassment have no place in our service,” the Coast Guard said in the statement. “The Coast Guard is committed to protecting our personnel and ensuring a safe and respectful environment in which sexual violence, sexual harassment and other harmful behaviors are eliminated.”

The legal complaints follow a year of investigation for the Coast Guard Academy that began with the revelation that the agency withheld a report showing that academy officials had routinely mishandled reports of sexual abuse among cadets. The report, known as Operation Fouled Anchor, was the result of a six-year internal review of 102 reports of sexual assault and harassment at the academy between 1990 and 2006.

Fouled Anchor’s existence only became public after CNN learned of the report and the Coast Guard’s 2020 decision not to release it. It was only after the news network reported on Operation Fouled Anchor that Coast Guard officials took it to Congress. Congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general have since opened investigations into the cover-up, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service has begun a criminal investigation into the cases recorded in Fouled Anchor.

The former cadets’ legal cases were filed through the Federal Tort Claims Act, the law that allows people to take legal action against the federal government for negligence toward its employees. It is a necessary first step towards a lawsuit. Each $10 million claim was filed against the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation, which oversaw the Coast Guard until 2003.

Attorneys released copies of the legal paperwork but redacted the names of the former cadets and other identifying information.

One woman described how investigators told her they had found enough evidence of her rape to court-martial her attacker, but officials chose to dismiss him from the academy instead. Afterwards, other cadets and staff blamed her for ruining his career.

“My time at the academy was the worst four years of my life. I wanted to leave and tried, but I couldn’t afford it. I felt ashamed of my attacker’s classmates, who constantly spread rumors about me. The stigma followed me throughout my professional career in the Coast Guard,” the woman wrote in the complaint.

Another woman described three separate attacks she suffered at the academy — the first when she was just 17 years old — and the bullying and intimidation that followed, according to the legal documents. The Coast Guard subsequently deemed the woman medically unfit for duty due to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and fainting resulting from military sexual trauma.

She was denied her diploma, despite meeting all requirements, until her family hired a lawyer.

While there are ongoing investigations into the Fouled Anchor cover-up, the Coast Guard says it has begun implementing reforms. In July 2023, Admiral Linda Fagan, the service commander, led the Accountability and Transparency Review, which recommended that the service devote significant resources to improving prevention, victim support and accountability.

“The Coast Guard is steadfast in our commitment to sustainable institutional and cultural change, ensuring a safe and respectful environment that does not tolerate harm,” the service said in its statement.