LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Michigan attorney general says she is planning to reopen an investigation into Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar investigation.
Nassar, a former sports medicine physician at the university, was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison after he admitted to molesting some of the nation's top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment.
The decision to reopen the investigation comes after the university Board of Trustees agreed to release some 6,000 documents regarding their handling of the investigation on Friday.
It’s a decision survivors have been waiting nearly six years for.
"I was excited for this finally. It was a relief," said survivor Danielle Moore, who is with The Army of Survivors.
Moore and other survivors were there Friday as the decision came down. She says this is an important step toward change.
"Honestly, it’s been really tough. We want MSU to change, so this doesn’t happen to anybody else," Moore said.
After Nassar was sentenced in 2018, the university asked the Michigan Department of Attorney General to launch an investigation to determine what university leaders knew about the abuse. In 2021, that investigation abruptly ended after the AG’s office said the university refused to turn over vital documents.
"The journey to today’s decision was a long and hard fought battle. My sisters and I have fought for 5 years. I truly never believed this day would come but I am thankful that the votes happened in our favor," said survivor Lizzie Maurer. "Now we continue to fight. We are hoping to partner with the board to ensure these documents are released in a timely and appropriate manner."
Friday, new Board of Trustee leadership voted to reverse course passing a resolution to waive privilege of nearly 6,000 Nassar-related documents. After they redact personal information, the documents will be released.
Michigan State University Board of Trustees released the following statement:
"We are sorry for the hurt and pain that survivors have endured and continue to experience. For some, this decision is a critical and welcomed step forward as we collectively and carefully work to bring closure for survivors. We also know that revisiting this investigation will be painful for many, and we will diligently work to provide the utmost compassion, care, and supportive resources to those who need it most. Today’s decision to waive privilege delivers on a call for renewed transparency, restored accountability and revived trust.
We acknowledge and are committed to using these principles. As a publicly elected governing body bound by oath to the constitution of the state of Michigan and the duties of the Office of Trustee, we pledge to continue working in a manner that is not only compliant with the laws and regulations, but also ethically sound. Furthermore, we are appreciative of President-elect Kevin Guskiewicz’s shared commitment in this endeavor, pledging his signed support of these new governing principles.”
-Board Chair Rema Vassar, Ph.D
Attorney General Dana Nessel says although many things have changed since the investigation was first launched, her office intends to pick up where they left off as best they can.
"We’re excited to reopen the investigation and to hopefully answer some long-awaited questions that have been unresolved. Will there be a smoking gun of some sort? Maybe, but perhaps not. But at least it’ll allow us to provide some sort of conclusion to the results of this investigation, which we could never provide before," Nessel said.
Survivors say they hope the university's redactions won’t add an additional obstacle in the reopened investigation.
"Our whole idea was again, we didn’t want this to happen to anybody else, so the attorney general really needs all the information to complete her investigation. And if those documents are redacted too much, she won’t be able to complete her investigation, then we won’t have answers. We won’t be figuring out what happened within the chain of command," Moore said.
The AG's office says they were notified it would take at least four weeks before the documents could be released.
"For Michigan State, I hope they learn from this whole situation. Of course I am mad at what they have done, but with so many people I know going there, I truly hope they can grow and heal from this. I hope they are able to look over their policies to ensure this never happens again. I hope they take survivors suggestions seriously and work with survivors to improve their university," Maurer added. "For other colleges and universities, I am hoping they’ve been watching MSU's actions and been disgraced by how things were handled. They should see MSU's struggles and learn from their mistakes. Listen to what the survivors have said and take notes for themselves so they can improve their campus."
