Convicted on 45 of the 48 criminal counts against him in June of this year, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 10 young men, all from disadvantaged backgrounds. Using his position at Penn State, Mr. Sandusky provided gifts, trips and attention to youngsters while victimizing them through rape and molestation.
In late October, Pennsylvania State announced settlement of almost all the claims against that institution brought by victims of Mr. Sandusky. Points of the settlement talks include the following:
- While Mr. Sandusky was convicted of abusing 10 boys, the university is settling with 26 victims.
- Penn State has been negotiating with victims for the better part of this year to put the damage done to the victims, and to the university, behind it. Notes university president Rodney Erickson, [w]e cannot undo what has been done, but we can and must do everything possible to learn from this and ensure it never happens again at Penn State.
- The university agreed to pay $59.7 million to the victims of Mr. Sandusky. Using a third–party law firm to investigate and facilitate the settlements, the university believes all settlement monies can be obtained from liability insurance policies carried on university personnel and units. Each settlement is the subject of a confidentiality agreement.
Money cannot heal these young men, but it helps provide needed support so they can move forward after suffering the criminal acts of Mr. Sandusky. If you are a victim of sexual abuse anywhere in North Carolina, speak with our law firm.