Penn State’s Sandusky settlements hit $60 million so far
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Penn State University has reached tentative settlements totaling about $60 million so far with men who claim to have been sexually abused by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, a trustee said Thursday.
The trustee, Ted Brown, said he was unsure of how many claims have been settled and how many remain in negotiations.
“We approved settlements for approximately $60 million,” Brown told The Associated Press. He said that figure does not cover every claim made and that he expected trustees to be asked to approve more when tentative agreements are reached.
The trustees voted last Friday to authorize members of a committee to approve settlements on the university’s behalf, without detailing how many accusers have come forward with sex-abuse claims involving Sandusky, how many have settled and how much money might be involved.
A person familiar with the discussions told the AP on Thursday that about 25 of 31 outstanding claims were covered by the approximately $60 million in settlements the trustees approved. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to avoid giving information that the university has chosen not to reveal.
Brown said trustees were briefed on the dollar figures in private before the vote. School officials have said they will not publicly discuss specific figures until the deals have been made final, which could happen in the coming weeks.
The deals are limited to a range of dollar values that the board received in a closed-door session before their public meeting Friday at a branch campus and another meeting held June 25.
Sandusky, 69, was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, including violent attacks on boys inside school facilities, after a three-week trial last summer in which eight victims testified against him. He is serving a 30- to 60-year prison term and maintains he was wrongfully convicted. He is pursuing appeals.
Jerry Sandusky’s son seeks to have name changed
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is seeking to have his name changed more than a year after his adoptive father was convicted of child sexual abuse.
Matt Sandusky filed papers Tuesday in Centre County Court seeking to have the names of him and his family changed. Though the documents are sealed, they show he filed for a name change, along with his wife and four children.
Matt Sandusky had been expected to be a defense witness until the trial, when he told investigators that he also had been abused by Jerry Sandusky.
Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse. He is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence and maintains he was wrongfully convicted. He is pursuing appeals.
