Michigan State University will pay half a billion dollars to the sexual abuse victims of former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who worked at the school for nearly twenty years and over thirty years with USA Gymnastics.
According to the terms of the agreement, MSU will pay the 332 victims $425 million, and $75 will be placed in a trust for future claimants that allege they were victims of Nassar. Amongst those victims are gold medalists Jordyn Weber, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney. Ms. Maroney wrote in a victim impact statement the abuse commenced when she was around 13 or 14 and did not cease until she left the sport altogether.
Brian Breslin, the chairman of Michigan State’s Board of Trustees had this to say in a statement:
We are truly sorry to all the survivors and their families for what they have been through, and we admire the courage it has taken to tell their stories. We recognize the need for change on our campus and in our community around sexual assault awareness and prevention. A successful resolution to the litigation is a positive step in moving us all forward. We will continue working as a Board to address the necessary changes and improvements that are needed at our university.
We appreciate the hard work of the mediator and the parties involved in coming to this fair resolution.
Thus far, Michigan State is the only entity involved in this scandal that has agreed to settle.
The University also stated there will be no NDAs or confidentiality agreements attached to the settlement.
