Thirteen former US Coast Guard Academy cadets have filed official complaints in connection to alleged sexual assaults on campus.
Twelve women and one man have brought legal action against the Coast Guard under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Attorney Christine Dunn represents the 13 claimants.
“You first have to go through an administrative process where you file a complaint with the agency that harmed you," Dunn said. "And then they get six months to investigate the complaint, and they will either settle your claim or they will deny your claim. And if they deny your claim then you have an additional six months in which you can go and file a lawsuit in federal court.”
Dunn said she believes this is the first time a ‘collective action’ has been taken against a U.S. service academy by survivors of sexual assault.
“I believe this is the first time that a group of survivors have banded together to try to bring a legal collective action," she said. "And while we filed thirteen yesterday, I’ve already had additional people reaching out to me and we fully intend to keep filing more. My hope is that we assemble an army of survivors to bring these claims.”
It’s also the first legal action since the Coast Guard was found to have mishandled decades of sexual assaults and misconduct in a 2023 report called Operation Fouled Anchor.
A Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed they received the claims, but federal law prevented them from discussing the details further.