Penn State officials has agreed to pay a total of $59.7 million to 26 sexual abuse victims of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The university says the settlement amounts will not be funded by student tuition, taxpayer funds or donations; it believes its various liability insurance policies will cover the settlements and defense of claims.
"We hope this is another step forward in the healing process for those hurt by Mr. Sandusky, and another step forward for Penn State," says University President Rodney Erickson. "We 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."
Penn State has received claims from 32 individuals who were or allege that they were victims of Sandusky. In some of the six remaining cases, the university has rejected certain of the claims as being without merit; in other cases, it is exploring possible settlement discussions.
