Washington, May 16 (EFE).- Michigan State University (MSU) agreed to pay $500 million to 332 victims of Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics national team doctor who sexually abused hundreds of young girls and women.
“This historic settlement came about through the bravery of more than 300 women and girls who had the courage to stand up and refuse to be silenced,” John Manly, one of the lawyers representing the victims, said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Nassar, who worked several decades in MSU, was sentenced in two separate cases for sexual assault and had previously been sentenced in 2017 on child pornography charges.
His sentences add up to more than 100 years in prison.
The terms of the settlement agreed to by MSU and the victims include a $425 million payment that will be divided among the 332 women and girls who were sexually assaulted, corresponding to $1.8 million per victim.
MSU also agreed to create a $75 million trust fund for any future claimants who have yet to step forward.
One of the university’s lawyers, Robert Young, said MSU is “pleased that we have been able to agree in principle on a settlement that is fair to the survivors of Nassar’s crimes.”
In January, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison after more than 100 young gymnasts said in court that he had sexually abused them.
The former physician’s court cases have coincided with the rise of the #MeToo movement, which has denounced the widespread sexual assault suffered mainly by women in various sectors of US society.