A yearslong coverup of sexual assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy has led to nine former students filing legal complaints seeking $10 million each from the service for knowingly placing them and others in danger. (Petty Officer Matt Thieme/U.S. Coast Guard photo.)
Another nine former cadets of the Coast Guard Academy are seeking $10 million each from the service, claiming officials condoned and actively concealed the rampant nature of sexual assault and harassment of students, which knowingly placed them and others in danger, according to legal documents filed Wednesday.
They join 13 other former cadets who filed similar claims last month, all describing sexual misconduct that went unchecked at the campus in New London, Conn. Each claim is filed separately by 19 women, two men and one nonbinary person.
“The Coast Guard has run 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 they’re demanding real accountability. The old playbook of stonewalling and silencing won’t work against clients this determined to see real change.”
Service officials said they are aware of the additional claims but federal law prohibits the discussion of 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 workforce and ensuring a safe and respectful environment that eliminates sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other harmful behaviors.”
The legal complaints follow a year of scrutiny for the Coast Guard Academy that began with the revelation that the service concealed a report that found academy officials had routinely mishandled reports of sexual assault 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 cases at the academy between 1990 and 2006.
Fouled Anchor’s existence only became public after CNN learned of the report and the decision in 2020 by the Coast Guard not to release it. Only after the news network reported on Operation Fouled Anchor did Coast Guard officials go to Congress with it. Congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security inspector general have since opened investigations into the cover-up, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service has begun criminal investigations into the cases included in Fouled Anchor.
The legal filings by the former cadets were submitted through the Federal Tort Claims Act, the law that allows people to take legal action against the federal government for negligence to its employees. It is a required first step toward 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 that they had uncovered enough evidence of her rape to court-martial her assailant but officials chose to discharge him from the academy instead. Afterward, 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 to, but I could not afford it. I was shamed by my assailant’s classmates, who constantly spread rumors about me. The stigma followed me into my professional career in the Coast Guard,” the woman wrote in the complaint.
Another woman described three separate assaults that she endured at the academy — the first when she was just 17 years old — and the bullying and harassment that followed, according to the legal documents. The Coast Guard then deemed the woman medically unfit for the service because of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and fainting related to military sexual trauma.
She was denied her diploma despite having completed all the requirements until her family hired an attorney.
While there are ongoing investigations regarding the cover-up of Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard said it has begun enacting reforms. In July 2023, Adm. Linda Fagan, the service commandant, directed the Accountability and Transparency Review, which recommended the service devote significant resources to improving prevention, victim support and accountability.
“The Coast Guard is unwavering in our commitment to lasting institutional and cultural change, ensuring a safe and respectful environment that is intolerant of harm,” the service said in its statement.
