A years-long cover-up of sexual assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy has led to nine former students filing legal complaints, each seeking $10 million from the service for putting them and others at risk . (Sub Petty Officer Matt Thieme/US Coast Guard photo.)

Nine other former Coast Guard Academy cadets are seeking $10 million each from the service, alleging that officials condoned and actively covered up the rampant nature of sexual assault and harassment of students who knowingly put them and others at risk, according to legal documents filed Wednesday. .

They join 13 other former cadets who have made similar claims last monthall describing sexual misconduct that went unchecked on the campus in New London, Connecticut. Each application is submitted separately by 19 women, two men and one non-binary 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 people have found their collective voice and are demanding real accountability. The old lock-and-shut playbook will not work against customers so determined to see real change.”

Service officials said they were aware of the additional claims, but federal law prohibits discussing details and reiterated a statement provided 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 providing a safe and respectful environment that eliminates sexual assault, sexual harassment and other harmful behavior.”

The legal complaints follow a year of scrutiny of the Coast Guard Academy, which began with revelations that the service covered up a report that found academy officials 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 at the academy between 1990 and 2006.

The existence of the Fouled Anchor only became public after CNN learned of the report and the Coast Guard’s 2020 decision not to release it. Only after the news network reported on Operation Fouled Anchor did Coast Guard officials go with it to Congress. Congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security’s 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 former cadets’ lawsuits were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the law that allows people to take legal action against the federal government for negligence against its employees. It is a necessary first step to a process. The $10 million lawsuit was each filed against the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation, which oversaw the Coast Guard until 2003.

Attorneys have released copies of the legal documents, but have redacted the former cadets’ names and other identifying information.

One woman described how investigators told her they had found enough evidence of her rape to prosecute her attacker, but officials chose to release him from the academy. Afterwards, 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 I tried but I couldn’t afford it. I was ashamed of my attacker’s classmates who were constantly spreading rumors about me. The stigma followed me throughout my professional career in the Coast Guard,” the woman wrote in the complaint.

Another woman described three separate assaults she endured at the academy — the first when she was just 17 — and the bullying and harassment that followed, according to legal documents. The Coast Guard then deemed the woman medically unfit for duty due to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and blackout related to military sexual trauma.

She was denied her degree even though she met all the requirements until her family hired a lawyer.

While investigations into the Fouled Anchor cover-up are ongoing, the Coast Guard said it has begun enacting reforms. In July 2023, adm. Linda Fagan, the service’s commander, led 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.