$130 Million Lawsuit: The Coast Guard Academy has a Sexual Misconduct Problem

A recent lawsuit filed by former United States Coast Guard Academy cadets indicates that the Academy has a long running history of mishandling sexual misconduct reports at an institutional level. Filed by one man and twelve women, the suit alleges that the Coast Guard failed to implement and uphold policies that would hold abusers accountable.

This $130 million lawsuit would award each complainant $10 million in restitution. Spearheaded by attorney Christine Dunn, the complaints were filed against the Coast Guard, its parent agency Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and its former parent agency, the Department of Transportation. Within the suit, there are allegations of school officials discouraging victims from reporting assaults and claiming to have lost written statements. 

Individuals involved in the case attended the New London, Connecticut based academy between the 1980s and more recent years. Acts reported ranged from hazing to harassment to physical sexual assault. Some of the 13 involved in this case left the Academy and never started their careers. Others joined the Coast Guard where they were assaulted again.

Survivors of sexual abuse are disproportionately likely to be assaulted a second time–a phenomenon called revictimization. Dunn has stated, “What happened to these individuals at the academy has really had a lifelong impact…Some of them are still suffering from active PTSD. As a result, their careers have been ruined. As a result, marriages have been ruined.”

Sexual assault rates among college-aged women are substantially higher than the rest of the population. Women in the military are also more likely than civilian women to experience a sexual assault. Because of this, military academies have been called a breeding ground for sexual violence. 

This is not the first time that the Coast Guard Academy has come under fire for an inability to take sexual misconduct reports seriously. A six year investigation called Operation Fouled Anchor was executed. 

Its findings showed that between 1990 and 2006, there was a routine mishandling of cadet sexual assault reports. The Coast Guard chose to not make this report public.  Only after CNN caught wind did they bring the report to Congress. The Coast Guard claims that they are aware of the complaints, but cannot discuss them under federal law.

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Featured image: USCG photo by PA1 Santos, David