A lawsuit was filed on Thursday by victims of convicted sexual predator Larry Nassar, accusing officials at Michigan State University (MSU) of engaging in “secret votes” to hide records related to the disgraced sports doctor.
The civil complaint, filed in Ingham County Circuit Court, alleges that the university violated open meeting laws and withheld thousands of documents from state investigators.
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Thus, potentially revealing who knew about Nassar’s criminal activities and when they were aware of them.
The plaintiffs assert that MSU’s Board of Trustees conducted illegal secret votes and made decisions behind closed doors in an attempt to conceal their stance on releasing the “Nassar documents.”
Since 2018, survivors, advocates, the public, the MSU community, and even lawmakers have been demanding full transparency and the disclosure of the documents in question.
“The public has a right to know about who at MSU may have turned a blind eye to Nassar’s activities, when his actions were reported and to whom, but the MSU Trustees as a body continued to hide information and evidence,” states the lawsuit.
Michigan State University has been withholding emails and communications under the claim of attorney-client privilege.
These documents are crucial in shedding light on the Nassar scandal and may hold crucial information about those who enabled Nassar’s abuse to persist for years.
State investigators have asserted that the school is refusing to provide over 6,000 documents that could be highly relevant to the Nassar case.
This unwillingness to cooperate has further fueled the frustration and anger of survivors and their families seeking closure and accountability.
Valerie von Frank, lead plaintiff and mother of a Nassar survivor, expressed the importance of holding the university responsible for its role in the scandal.
She emphasized that, while Nassar is behind bars for his heinous crimes, those who allowed his abuse to continue must also face consequences.
“I’ve always thought this is a sick individual, but I am angry at the people who allowed it to continue to happen to more and more and more survivors,” said von Frank as gathered by SurgeZirc US.
In response to media inquiries, a Michigan State representative declined to comment, citing the university’s policy against discussing ongoing litigation matters.
Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics and MSU team doctor, is serving a de facto life sentence for various sex crimes, including 40 to 175 years for sexually abusing some of the nation’s top gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment.
In 2018, MSU reached a $500 million settlement with hundreds of women and girls who were sexually assaulted by Nassar. Despite the settlement, survivors and their families are still demanding full transparency and accountability from the university.
Elizabeth Maurer, another plaintiff and Nassar survivor, expressed her frustration at the university’s continued reluctance to release the documents.
She emphasized that the undisclosed information is hindering the healing process for survivors who are still seeking answers to their questions.
“These documents have been sitting there, waiting to be read by the public and by survivors. And they keep deceiving us and not allowing us to see them after promising we could, and I’m just sick and tired of it,” Maurer said during a press conference in East Lansing.
“It’s really, really hard to heal when you know there are still answers to a lot of your questions out there.”
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The accusations made in the lawsuit have added another layer of complexity to the already distressing Nassar scandal.
As the legal battle unfolds, the survivors and the public are eagerly awaiting a resolution that ensures accountability, transparency, and justice for all those affected by Nassar’s actions.
