By Kanishka Singh
(Reuters) – The University of Michigan said a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 people who alleged sexual assault by a former sports doctor was finalized on Friday.
The doctor, Robert Anderson, was a physician for the football team and other athletic programs at the university, where he worked from 1966 until his retirement in 2003. He died in 2008. Most of the victims were male.
The university said the deal gained approval from 98% of claimants. How the amount will be split was decided by the claimants and their lawyers, it added.
“The University of Michigan offers its heartfelt apology for the abuse perpetrated by the late Robert Anderson. We hope this settlement helps the healing process for survivors,” Paul Brown, chairman of the university’s governing board, said in a statement.
In January, the university said the deal, which was the culmination of years of negotiations with attorneys for the victims, would settle all claims of abuse by Anderson.
It said at the time that $460 million will be paid to 1,050 claimants and $30 million placed in reserve for any unidentified victims who come forward by July 31, 2023.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
