A man who was sexually abused by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky has settled his civil suit against the University.
Tom Kline, the lawyer of a 25 year old man who was abused when he was just 13, says his client had tears in his eyes when his case was settled on Friday.
“He was, I could tell, relieved that this was over but he knew in his heart that this will never be over in terms of the damages that were caused by Jerry Sandusky,” says Kline.
His client — known as victim number 5 — is the first agreement to be signed with Penn State University
Kline calls his client’s case a pivotal and important one.
“My client was assaulted just 6 months after the infamous McQueary incident where Mike McQueary saw Jerry Sandusky doing very bad things in the locker and shower rooms as Penn State,” says Kline.
Kline says his client has spent two years in limbo giving testimony and reliving a horrific memory.
He says the compensation victim number 5 received was fair.
“And now he has gone through literally a year of negotiations through his lawyer myself which has led to the relief he hopes to get on with his life and hopes to have this now finally behind him,” says Kline.
Kline hopes the University can finish settling claims with other clients and can continue to move forward as an educational institution.
A spokesperson for Penn State says, “The University continues to make progress on multiple settlements but does not have a comment at this time.”