Ten former University of Michigan athletes filed a lawsuit against the school’s Board of Regents on Sunday, alleging they were sexually assaulted while receiving medical care from the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson, reports The Detroit News.
Anderson, who died in 2008, was the former head of University Health Service and the UM Athletic Department’s team doctor. He worked at the university from the 1960s to 2003.
Dr. Robert E. AndersonAllegations of his sexual misconduct publicly emerged in February when a former Detroit resident shared his story of alleged mistreatment with The Detroit News. Since then, “scores of men, and a few women,” have come forward with allegations against Anderson, states The Detroit News.
Additionally, a subsequent UM police investigation found that several university officials had previously been alerted to Anderson’s behavior and that, in 1979, one administrator had almost fired him.
After UM announced it would create a system for resolving claims by those who allege sexual abuse, the plaintiffs thought they could avoid taking legal action. However, their “optimism was short-lived,” states the lawsuit which was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit and is demanding a jury trial.
