FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2017, file photo, Larry Nassar, 54, appears in court for a plea hearing in Lansing, Mich. The government's $4.5 million fine against Michigan State University in the Nassar sexual assault scandal is unprecedented. The U.S. Education Department has extraordinary leverage over schools that participate in federal student aid programs. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
The Associated Press
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State University has dropped plans for an outside review to determine how it handled sexual assault complaints against former campus sports doctor Larry Nassar.
The switch by trustees comes a few months after they voted unanimously to hire a Chicago law firm to investigate and release a report. Trustee Brian Mosallam had pledged to "rip off the Band-Aid."
But some trustees now believe that a federal investigation has filled the role. Trustee Dianne Byrum also says there was no consensus on the scope of the job.
Some of Nassar's victims are upset. Sarah Klein calls it a "complete betrayal."
Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison for assault and child pornography crimes. The U.S. Education Department last week ordered a $4.5 million fine and many changes at Michigan State.
FILE - In this April 13, 2018 file photo, Morgan McCaul, 18, a survivor of Larry Nassar abuse, holds a sign showing the years that Larry Nassar was reported to Michigan State University as trustees arrive for a university board meeting. The government's $4.5 million fine against Michigan State University in the Nassar sexual assault scandal is unprecedented. The U.S. Education Department has extraordinary leverage over schools that participate in federal student aid programs. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP, File)
The Associated Press
Erin Blayer, a Nassar survivor, addresses the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, during the first meeting of the fall semester in Lansing, Mich. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)
The Associated Press