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University of Michigan to resolve abuse cases with $490 million settlement

The University of Michigan agreed to historic accord to compensate sexual abuse victims

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Jon Vaughn, a former University of Michigan football player, speaks in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Jon Vaughn, a former University of Michigan football player from 1988 to 1991, speaks during a news conference in Ann Arbor, Mich. on June 16, 2021.

Paul Sancya, Associated Press

The University of Michigan will pay $490 million to settle multiple sexual abuse cases, The New York Times reports.

The news: The University of Michigan will agree to the historic accord to compensate victims of sexual abuse.

  • The $490 million will be split among more than 1,000 people who accused a doctor who worked with the school’s football players and other students of sexual abuse, per The New York Times.
  • This means that each accuser will receive an average of more than $438,000, according to The Detroit News. The actual amount will depend on the circumstances of individual students.

Flashback: The deal came three years after a former University of Michigan student wrote to Michigan’s athletic director about sexual misconduct, which dated back to the ’70s.

  • The student said Dr. Robert E. Anderson had molested them during physical exams, which were required to participate in the school’s athletic program, according to The New York Times.

Details: More than 1,050 former school athletes and other students sued the university, filing their claims anonymously, per The Detroit Free Press.

  • “The suits claim the university failed to act when it knew Anderson was sexually assaulting students,” The Detroit Free Press reports.