LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Michigan Board of Trustees announced Friday during its regular meeting that an independent firm will be investigating how the school handled the Larry Nassar case.
The investigation will be lead by McDermott Will & Emery, an international law firm.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel responded to the announcement saying that "MSU lacks the credibility necessary to conduct a legitimate investigation."
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Nessel's statement went on to say, “Over the past few years, (MSU) has launched several investigations including an ‘independent investigation’ conducted by Patrick Fitzgerald in 2016. Unsurprisingly, it has cleared its employees of culpability each time. There is only one way for MSU to regain the public’s trust and that is to waive its privilege and disclose all information in its possession about Larry Nassar to the Department of Attorney General. In other words, the University should leave the job of investigating to the professionals.”
Nassar, a former sports doctor, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to multiple charges of sexually assaulting girls and women he was working with.
The board also announced during Friday's meeting a new fund to support counseling and mental health services for Nassar survivors.
“We listened to the concerns expressed about the management of the initial Healing Assistance Fund and selected New Directions Behavioral Health with those concerns in mind,” said Dianne Byrum, chairperson of the Board of Trustees. “Based on their experience in this area and commitment to improving mental and emotional health, we are confident New Directions Behavioral Health can provide a more efficient and timely process as well as greater privacy for survivors.”
According to a release, the fund will be accessible to survivors beginning Sept. 1, and additional details regarding the funding will be released in August.
