MSU’s legal bills related to Nassar reach $330,000 | Lansing State Journal
Records obtained from the State Journal show MSU costs for outside legal assistance in the Larry Nassar case reached $330,000 by the end of February.
Nassar in the news: MSU legal bills allegedly hit $333,000
Former MSU employee Larry Nassar looks towards the 55th District Court Judge Donald L. Allen Jr. during the preliminary examination on Feb. 17, 2017 at 55th District Court in Mason, Mich. The preliminary examination occurred as a result of former MSU employee Larry Nassar's alleged sexual abuse.
According to the State Journal, that amount is likely to be significantly higher because it excludes the months of March and April.
MSU spokesmen Jason Cody said these bills come from several different agencies. This highest bill is $203,630 coming from a Chicago-based Law Firm.
That firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, is the workplace of Patrick Fitzgerald, who prosecuted Illinois governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan. Currently the law firm is charging MSU $990 per hour for their legal assistance. The documents obtained by the State Journal show they also included a $13,350 fee for computer legal research.
Other companies involved include: Detroit-based Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone which charges MSU between $310 and $455 per hour and East Lansing-based Hackney Grover, which handles MSU medical malpractice issues. The total bill from Hackney Grover is $824.
The university has also contracted the Blue Moon Consulting Group in San Francisco for crisis management and communication support for Nassar-related issues. On the consulting group's website, the company says it specializes in higher education issues.
The documents show their bill to MSU is $20,650 for 59 hours of completed work from Jan. 28 to Feb. 24. Cody said the university’s insurance policy will cover a portion of Blue Moon’s bill.
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