A former wrestler for the University of Michigan alleges he was molested dozens of times by a late physician accused of inappropriately touching other student-athletes in a lawsuit against the school and added his name to the list of former students accusing the doctor of sexual assault and the school for allegedly failing to properly supervise the doctor.
The man wrestled for the school in the 1980s and is identified as John Doe in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The suit is the first since victims of Dr. Robert Anderson began to emerge weeks ago.
The wrestler attended the university from 1984 to 1989.
“One illustrative incident is when plaintiff scratched his arm while wrestling on the mat during a summer training session, and he was told by leadership to see Anderson about the bleeding,” the lawsuit states.
Anderson told Doe to drop his pants and then “sexually assaulted, abused and molested” him, according to the suit. The former student said he was uncomfortable but that he was trained “to do as he was ordered by those in positions in authority.”
He is accusing the university of violating his rights under federal education law.
A university spokesman told The Associated Press they couldn’t comment on the lawsuit.
“We recognize the enormous strength and courage it takes for survivors to come forward and share their stories,” university spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen said.
The university launched an investigation into Anderson’s conduct last month after several former students made abuse allegations against him. School officials acknowledged that some university employees were aware of accusations against the doctor prior to a 2018 complaint that led to a police investigation.
