University of Michigan to pay $490m to survivors of abuse by former sports doctor
The University of Michigan has agreed to a $490m settlement with hundreds of people who say they were sexually assaulted by a former sports doctor at the school.
Parker Stinar, a lawyer representing those who brought the legal action, said that 1,050 people will share in the settlement, which was reached the night before.
“I am proud to announce that a settlement was reached with the 1,050 survivors of Robert Anderson and the University of Michigan,” Stinar said. “It has been a long and challenging journey, and I believe this settlement will provide justice and healing for the many brave men and women who refused to be silenced.”
The university had been in mediation to resolve multiple lawsuits by mostly men who said Anderson sexually abused them during routine medical examinations. Anderson worked at the university from 1966 until his 2003 retirement and was director of the university’s Health Service and a physician for multiple athletic teams, including football.
A number of football players and other athletes have come forward to accuse Anderson, who died in 2008, of sexually abusing them.
“We hope this settlement will begin the healing process for survivors,” said Jordan Acker, chair of the University of Michigan board of regents, on Wednesday. “At the same time, the work that began two years ago, when the first brave survivors came forward, will continue.”
A report by a firm hired by the school determined that staff missed many opportunities to stop Anderson over his 37-year career. The university regularly is ranked among the top public universities in the US.
The deal came just after two men who say they were sexually assaulted by Anderson called for a change in leadership that would allow the school to be more accountable toward abuse victims.
Keith Moree and Robert Stone told reporters Tuesday that the Ann Arbor school is ripe for a culture change as its board conducts a search to permanently replace former president Mark Schlissel, who was removed on Saturday due to an alleged “inappropriate relationship with a university employee.”