Lawsuit claims former Michigan State AD George Perles covered up 1992 Nassar assault of athlete

Former field hockey player says Larry Nassar impregnated her

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Shocking allegations have been brought against a titan in the world of Michigan State athletics.

A bombshell new lawsuit claims George Perles knew about an assault by former sports doctor Larry Nassar all the way back in 1992 and covered it up.

The lawsuit, filed in Grand Rapids, claims Nassar impregnated a field hockey player who later suffered a miscarriage. When the woman reported the incident, Perles -- the athletic director at the time -- stepped in and made the issue go away, according to the lawsuit.

Nassar is locked up in a Florida federal prison, but new accusations against him continue to pour in.

A 141-page federal lawsuit offers more details about the 1992 incident and goes after the university, the board of trustees, the athletic department and Perles.

It's a 33-count civil lawsuit filed by Erika Davis, a former MSU co-ed and field hockey scholarship athlete. It includes accusations of civil rights violations, gross negligence, failure to warn or protect, civil racketeering, failure to report child abuse and negligent retention of an employee.

The suit claims Davis sought treatment in the spring of 1992 and Nassar drugged her before an examination that was videotaped.

"Plaintiff Erika got so tired and could not move her arms," the lawsuit says. "A short time later, (she) witnessed defendant Nassar raping her."

Davis claims she went to her coach, who confronted Nassar and got ahold of the videotaped assault and brought it to Perles.

"George Perles, former athletic director intervened and the charges were dropped against the coach, but she was forced to return the video, resign and sign and nondisclosure agreement," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit claims this proves that MSU officials had knowledge of Nassar sexually abusing and assaulting minors, but also that it went to great lengths to conceal his conduct.

It goes on to say MSU officials "could have stopped Nassar's conduct back in 1992, but did not."

Davis said she became pregnant, had a miscarriage and ended up with a sexually transmitted disease that later caused her to have cervical cancer.

The lawsuit claims her teenage encounter with Nassar all but ruined her life.

Here is a statement from Michigan State University:

We are deeply sorry for the abuses Larry Nassar has committed, and for the trauma experienced by all sexual assault survivors. Sexual abuse, assault and relationship violence are not tolerated in our campus community. While the protocols and procedures mentioned in this lawsuit do not reflect how sexual assault claims are handled at MSU, we are taking the allegations very seriously and looking into the situation. MSU is working diligently to create a campus community where all members feel safe to study and work free from the threat of sexual misconduct and relationship violence. At the same time, we want to make sure that when survivors of sexual assault or relationship violence come forward, they are treated with respect, listened to and that we provide the appropriate supports throughout the reporting process.”


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.