EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University’s interim president says the $500 million settlement with victims of former campus sports doctor Larry Nassar is important to help both the survivors and the school heal.
John Engler wrote a letter to the campus community Thursday, a day after the deal with 332 accusers was announced. He apologized for what Nassar put the women and girls through and said reaching a prompt and successful resolution for their lawsuits had been a top priority since he became president in February.
He says all of Michigan State’s insurers participated in the mediation and “we expect all of them to fulfill their contractual obligations.” He says he will work with the school’s governing board in the days ahead to develop a strategy to pay the settlement.
Engler says 31 victims were MSU students. He says the settlement will help survivors and their families avoid years of litigation and begin the healing they seek, and will let the university keep making changes designed to prevent sexual misconduct and assaults
