Doctor Returns to Court, and More Victims Speak

But the speakers in court on Wednesday were not global superstars. They were mostly regular teenagers who told of being charmed by Nassar’s “strange laugh” and by the autographed posters of revered gymnasts on the walls of his office at the Michigan State sports clinic.

Twistars Gymnastics Club, outside Lansing, Michigan, was supposed to catapult young female athletes to a fruitful career, under the guidance of John Geddert, who owned the gym and coached there. Instead it became a site of anguish and devastation, according to the statements, some of which described long-lasting injuries, both mental and physical, inflicted by the doctor known as the “healer of gymnasts.”

Last week, more than 150 young women and teenagers finished publicly confronting Nassar during a seven-day hearing in Ingham County Circuit Court, where he had pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of sexual assault. He has received sentences of 60 years for a conviction related to child pornography and of 40 to 175 years for the sexual abuse charges in Ingham County.

Starting Wednesday, 65 women were scheduled to speak here in Eaton County Circuit Court this week. The judge, Janice K. Cunningham, said that the number of victims who had come forward was up to 265, some of whom chose to remain anonymous.

Unlike the Ingham County judge, Rosemarie E. Aquilina, whose frequent commentary throughout the hearing there was met with a mix of praise and disapproval, Cunningham kept her comments concise and subdued, primarily expressing appreciation for the victims’ bravery.

“It is almost beyond comprehension to listen to young women in high school to stand at that podium and come forward with their story,” she said.

Nassar, wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, remained stoic with his head hanging low throughout the first day of the hearing, which included statements from 29 of the accusers, 22 of whom had not previously offered a statement in Ingham County.

The first speaker, Jessica Thomashow, said she had been assaulted by Nassar as early as age 9, at Twistars.

“The way it worked at Twistars was that, if you were injured, you were specifically instructed to see Larry Nassar, not your family doctor,” Thomashow said. She recalled being excited to see the famed Nassar for a rib injury.

“I went into the back room and that’s when everything changed,” she said, referring to the room Nassar used at Twistars.

Another victim, Bailey Lorencen, whose statement was read for her, referred to Twistars’ back room as a “dungeon.”

“It is clear that in an environment like Twistars, a monster like Nassar would thrive,” Lorencen’s statement said.

Nassar pleaded guilty here in November to three counts of criminal sexual conduct, two of them against girls between ages 13 and 15, and one against a girl younger than 13, according to a plea agreement.

The agreement said the abuse occurred between September 2009 and September 2011, some of it under the guise of medical treatment. A sentencing memorandum said the abuse had taken place at Twistars.

Nassar will be sentenced after the victims speak. The plea agreement states the minimum sentencing range would be 25 to 40 years for each of the counts.

The case has reverberated in the sports world, and it led to the resignation of the entire USA Gymnastics board of directors.

At Michigan State, the board of trustees voted unanimously to name John Engler, the former governor of Michigan, as its interim president, after the longtime president Lou Anna Simon resigned last week. But Engler’s appointment has already been met with student protests, and the university’s faculty senate is debating a vote of “no confidence” in the board. The vote could come as soon as next week.

The stories told Wednesday by the young women and by athletes’ parents, some of whom had been in the room while Nassar abused their daughters, painted an image of a dark side in gymnastics culture. Many of the victims said the pressure to rise in the sport’s ranks had contributed to their decisions not to report the abuse sooner.

“I kept thinking, ‘He’s a doctor, stop overreacting,’” Katherine Ebert said. “But I wasn’t overreacting.”

Madison Bonofiglio, whose statement was read by Angela Povilaitis, the assistant attorney general, said she had dismissed her feelings while she was being abused for fear of “upsetting” Nassar.

“You are judged by your body, your looks, your cuteness factor, and then your skill,” the statement said.

The young women said that they were told they had no choice but to see Nassar and that he had lulled them into trusting him. He lit the fireplace to keep athletes warm when “treating” them in his basement, where the abuse often occurred, they said. Nassar often gave gifts, such as souvenir pins, necklaces and treats, according to some of the statements.

Amy Preston, the mother of a 19-year-old who was abused by Nassar as a child, said he had brought the girl waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream. He often consoled gymnasts when Geddert screamed at them, she said.

“John, you tried to teach our girls to be quiet and obey,” Preston said in court, apparently referring to Geddert. “We now stand before them and say, ‘Speak.’”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.