LANSING, Mich. (WWJ) – Months after the Michigan Court of Appeals threw out the conviction of former Michigan State University Gymnastics coach Kathie Klages, Attorney General Dana Nessel is filing an appeal.
Back in December, the Court of Appeals ruled there was insufficient evidence that Klages had lied to police in regards to the investigation into former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was accused of sexually abusing young girls.
Klages had been convicted of lying to police during the investigation, with her charges stemming from a statement she made about not remembering two young gymnasts – ages 14 and 16 at the time, who were participating in a youth program at the school – telling her in 1997 about Nassar’s abuse.
In the court’s ruling in December, officials said that statement about not remembering the alleged conversations did not impact the attorney general’s investigation.
On Monday, Nessel said the COA’s decision could “set a harmful precedent for future cases and must be taken up” by the Michigan Supreme Court.
“We are asking the Court to reverse the ruling and reinstate the conviction or adopt Judge Borrello’s dissent that properly found her false statements were essential to our investigation.”
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Separately, Nessel also announced Monday she will not appeal the case of former MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, who had her charges dismissed.
The Court of Appeals upheld a circuit court judge's decision that there was insufficient evidence against Simon, who had also been accused of lying to police.
“The only judge that actually saw the witnesses, and heard the evidence directly, found the evidence presented against President Simon established probable cause that she knew about the allegations and that she purposely provided evasive, misleading, and dishonest answers to the Department of Attorney General’s investigators,” Nessel said Monday. “As the voice for survivors across the state, we always prioritize a victim-centered approach. To that end, we understand a long appellate process is not always the best way we can support survivors.”
One survivor involved in these cases, Amanda Thomashow, said “there is no justice in a system that compounds the pain of the very victims it relies on while simultaneously allowing the people that cause large scale harm to skirt accountability.”
Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges of criminal sexual misconduct. He was also sentenced to 60 years on child pornography charges.