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Michigan Supreme Court denies AG application to appeal the reversal of Klages' conviction

September 21, 2022
Ex-MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages during a status update on March.14, 2019 at Ingham County Circuit Court.
Ex-MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages during a status update on March.14, 2019 at Ingham County Circuit Court. —
Photo by CJ Weiss | The State News

The Michigan Supreme Court denied Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s application to review the overturning of the conviction of ex-MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages.

In August 2020, Klages was charged with two counts of lying to police regarding her knowledge of sexual assaults committed by Larry Nassar on MSU campus before the 2016 investigation. The Michigan Court of Appeals reversed Klages’ conviction on Dec. 21, 2020, ruling there was insufficient evidence that she made a false or misleading statement to authorities. 

Nessel filed the leave to appeal application in February. In a statement released Wednesday, Nessel said the jury’s original convictions were rightly made.

“The Court’s decision leaves in place dangerous precedent for prosecutions,” Nessel said in the statement. “In my view, the jury rightly convicted Klages of making false statements that were material to the investigation conducted by my department’s special agents. Absent review by the Michigan Supreme Court, the damaging ruling from the Court of Appeals has the potential to affect all future police investigations.”

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