Thirteen former cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy accused overseers of the Connecticut school on Thursday of failing to prevent sexual violence on campus and covering it up, in federal complaints seeking $10 million apiece in damages.
The former cadets, who all say they were sexually assaulted at the academy from the 1980s to more recent years, filed Federal Tort Claims Act administrative complaints against the Coast Guard, its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and its former parent agency, the Department of Transportation.
They allege the Coast Guard’s failure to put adequate policies and practices in place allowed sexual violence to go unchecked at the academy in New London, Connecticut, and that officials covered up the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment at the school.
Coast Guard officials said in a statement that the service had received the complaints, but they were barred by federal law from discussing them. They said the service is “devoting significant resources to improving prevention, victim support, and accountability.”
“Sexual assault and sexual harassment have no place in our Service,” the statement said. “The Coast Guard is committed to protecting our workforce and ensuring a safe and respectful environment that eliminates sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other harmful behaviors.”
The complaints follow revelations the Coast Guard kept secret a probe, called Operation Fouled Anchor, into sexual assault and harassment on campus. The investigation found that dozens of cases involving cadets from 1990 to 2006 had been mishandled by the school, including the prevention of some perpetrators from being prosecuted.
The revelations, first reported by CNN, sparked calls for major reforms and long-awaited accountability for offenders and those who protected them. There are multiple government and congressional investigations underway looking into the mishandling of serious misbehavior at the school and beyond.
“What happened to these individuals at the academy has really had a lifelong impact,” said Christine Dunn, a lawyer who is representing the former cadets. “Some of them are still suffering from active PTSD. As a result, their careers have been ruined. As a result, marriages have been ruined.”
Coast Guard officials have previously said they’re taking action to change and improve the culture at the academy and in the service in response to the allegations raised in the Operation Fouled Anchor investigation.
Among the former cadets who filed a complaint Thursday is a woman named in the papers as Jane Doe 1, who said she was raped twice at the academy and later gang-raped multiple times while serving on a ship after graduating from the school.
After the first rape on campus, she said she didn’t think she could report it because it would be her word against that of the well-liked senior cadet she said attacked her. She also said she had heard of other female cadets who were not believed when they raised sexual misconduct allegations.
About a year later, she said she did inform a campus official that she was attacked, although she did not provide details or the name of the alleged attacker. The official did not formally report it, she said. Years later, she reported it herself to Coast Guard officials. Disciplinary proceedings were held against the alleged attacker but were dismissed, she said. Officials told her too much time had passed for a successful prosecution, she said.
She said she didn’t feel like she could report the subsequent rapes.
“The culture of silence and victim-blaming perpetuated in the Coast Guard prevented me from immediately reporting what happened to me each time, and caused me to completely lose my physical, emotional, and mental stability,” she said in her complaint.
She said she not only has suffered psychological anguish but physical trauma as well. She said she has suffered chronic pain because of the attacks including a pelvic disorder and migraines and that she had several abdominal surgeries including a hysterectomy because of her injuries.
Another former cadet, named as Jane Doe 2, said she was raped at the academy but did not immediately report it because of how other women were treated when they raised similar allegations. She said when she did report it to a superior, she was never called to testify as part of any investigation. She also alleged school officials discouraged her from reporting the rape and said her written statement about the attack had been lost.
She said the mental and physical trauma she suffered affected her career and personal life, including low-rated performance reviews and the end of her first marriage.
“I have chronic insomnia and constantly need to ensure my sleeping and living space is safe and all doors are locked,” she said in her complaint. “I have severe anxiety. I have experienced stress related health problems including low thyroid, infertility, core issues, and a lack of sexual satisfaction. It has harmed my current marriage.”
After the filing of such complaints under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the Coast Guard has six months or longer to investigate the allegations. If the service dismisses the complaints, the former cadets could file federal lawsuits, Dunn said.
The former cadets’ lawyers say they expect more victims to come forward because of the complaints filed Thursday.
“Today marks a historic turning point in addressing the epidemic of sexual violence at the Coast Guard Academy,” said J. Ryan Melogy, another lawyer for the former cadets. “For far too long, the Coast Guard has relied on a culture of silence, fear, and retaliation to keep survivors from seeking accountability for the horrific injustices they faced as cadets.”
