Seven new Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) administrative complaints were on Thursday filed against the U.S. Coast Guard on behalf of sexual assault survivors who were cadets or prospective cadets at the Coast Guard Academy.
This latest legal action, led by law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, brings the total number of former Academy cadets represented in similar claims to 29, marking the first collective action of its kind against a U.S. service academy.
The complaints allege systematic failures by the Coast Guard to protect cadets from sexual violence.
The legal team, spearheaded by Christine Dunn—Partner and Co-Chair of the Sexual Violence, Title IX, and Victims’ Rights Practice Group—works alongside associate Jillian Seymour and Ryan Melogy of Maritime Legal Solutions, PLLC.
Named defendants include the U.S. Coast Guard, its parent agency the Department of Homeland Security, and its former parent agency, the Department of Transportation.
According to Dunn, survivors continue to come forward, demanding accountability for the Academy’s culture, which allegedly condoned sexual assault.
“The Coast Guard can no longer be allowed to sweep sexual assault under the rug. My clients are standing together and demanding that the Coast Guard be held accountable,” Dunn stated.
The legal actions follow revelations from Operation Fouled Anchor (OFA), an investigation uncovered by CNN in 2023, which exposed decades of mishandled sexual assault claims and concealment of the investigative report from Congress.
The scandal prompted congressional hearings and may have contributed to the removal of Admiral Linda Fagan as Commandant of the Coast Guard in January 2025.
Among the troubling details, some complaints highlight the Academy’s longstanding policy prohibiting cadets from locking their doors—leading to disturbing incidents of sexual assault.
One survivor reported waking up to find an intoxicated, naked male classmate sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.
In response, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025, introduced in February, proposes mandatory installation of electronic locking mechanisms for cadet rooms—addressing a safety concern raised for over 25 years.
Ryan Melogy, one of the attorneys leading the effort, criticized the Coast Guard’s leadership for “decades of documented moral failures” that have left survivors and the public with little faith in the Academy’s ability to protect cadets.
Under the FTCA process, the Coast Guard has six months to investigate the claims before the survivors can proceed with federal lawsuits.
This development could set a new precedent for accountability within military educational institutions.
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