In a unanimous decision on Friday, the Board of Trustees at Michigan State University (MSU) agreed to release documents related to the university's investigations into Larry Nassar, the former sports doctor now serving a prison sentence.
The documents, which the university had previously argued were protected by attorney-client privilege, will first be reviewed by the school's general counsel before being made public.
Sensitive and personal privacy information will be redacted from the documents. The board also stated in its resolution that MSU will devise and implement a strategy to assist those who may experience trauma upon the release of the documents.
The decision to release the documents comes after a lawsuit was filed in July by women who were sexually assaulted by Nassar. The plaintiffs accused MSU and its Board of Trustees of making "secret decisions" about the release of documents related to the case. They claimed that the university refused to provide more than 6,000 documents to the attorney general's office for an investigation into how Nassar was able to continue his abusive behavior. The university also allegedly refused to release emails concerning the Board of Trustees' decision-making process.
Nassar, who admitted to sexually abusing some of the country's top gymnasts under the pretense of medical treatment, was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison. He was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls. MSU has faced criticism for its handling of the Nassar investigation and its treatment of survivors following his arrest and conviction. The university has settled lawsuits filed by Nassar's victims for $500 million.
Following Friday's vote, Attorney General Dana Nessel stated that her office will review the documents and expedite its investigation as soon as they are received. "The students, the MSU community at-large, and most importantly, the victims of Larry Nassar have long been owed this transparency," Nessel said. "I am encouraged to see the MSU Board of Trustees finally make the right decision on a long-promised, and long-delayed, measure of transparency.
Nessel had previously requested the university to release the documents to shed light on what the school knew about Nassar's abuse. She ended her investigation of the universitys handling of the Nassar case in 2021 due to the university's refusal to provide documents related to the scandal.
Amanda Cormier, a victim of Nassar, expressed her appreciation to the board for finally considering the release of the documents. "I truly believe that the culture of MSU will not heal until the documents are released, and we learn more about the culture of MSU that allowed this to happen to so many people, Cormier said.
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