| Advertisement |
Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The University of Michigan reached a settlement Wednesday, with over 1,000 victims who claim they were sexually assaulted by its former head of health services, the late Dr. Robert Anderson, according to the Detroit News. The $490 million settlement with Anderson's victims was agreed to late Tuesday night with a formal announcement expected later Wednesday, reports The Athletic. The school had not issued a statement by late Wednesday morning.
Advertisement
Anderson worked for the university from 1966 until 2003, where he was also the team physician for Michigan's athletics department. He died in 2008.
A total of $460 million will be paid out to the 1,050 victims, most of whom are men. The remaining $30 million will be set aside for future victims, reports ESPN. Payouts will differ based on the circumstances of each case.
The publication also detailed a 2021 report by a law firm hired by the school to conduct an internal investigation. It found employees were aware of Anderson's behavior, which in some cases, dated back to the 1960s.
"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," attorney Parker Stinar told ESPN.
Stinar represents 200 victims in the case.
Multiple lawsuits had been in mediation as the university attempted to resolve them. They claim the school became aware of the abuse at one point, but failed to take meaningful action.
The victims, which include a number of former University of Michigan athletes, claim Anderson abused them during medical visits.
The first lawsuit was filed in 2020 by a former wrestler who accused Anderson of abusing him on multiple occasions in the 1980s.
The university first launched an investigation in 2018, reports the Detroit News.
The publication then published an interview with former student Robert Julian Stone, who said he was abused by Anderson during a 1971 medical exam.
