Grewal Law PLLC Attorney Nolan L. Erickson was featured on the Dr. Phil show for his work on the Robert Anderson sexual abuse case against the University of Michigan (U-M).
About the Anderson Sex Abuse Case
More than 1,000 former U-M athletes and students have come forward alleging that Anderson sexually abused them during his 37-year career at U-M. Regardless of what they went in for, they alleged Anderson would perform rectal, prostate, pelvic, or breast exams. It has long been determined that these exams were medically unnecessary and inappropriate. But U-M never stepped in, even when students reported the abuse.
Empowering Survivors to Speak Out
Attorney Erickson, as part of the Grewal Law PLLC legal team, is proud to represent Matt Schembechler, the adopted son of the fabled U-M football coach Bo Schembechler. Matt joined Attorney Erickson on the Dr. Phil show to share his story of abuse by Anderson.
“Well the first time I was to go to Dr. Anderson … he assaulted me,” Matt told Dr. Phil. “I was only a kid; I was 10 years old. … I told my mother that something was really wrong about this.”
Although Matt’s mother took him seriously, Bo did not. When Matt told Bo about what happened that very same day, he aggressively shut it down.
“His eyes got glassy and bulging, and he punched me in the chest so hard I flew across the kitchen on my rear end,” Matt said. “It was not to be discussed.”
Per these allegations, Bo himself knew of Anderson’s sex abuse. Other survivors claimed they reported the abuse to Bo and, like Matt, were dismissed.
Anderson was allowed to continue working at U-M for 37 years, from 1968 to 2003. He died a few years after retiring.
Our attorneys at Grewal Law PLLC refused to ignore survivors like numerous officials at U-M did. Instead, we empowered them and fought tirelessly to get them justice and closure. Then, in January 2022, Grewal Law PLLC helped Anderson sex abuse survivors reach a $490 million settlement with U-M to resolve the case. This would not have been possible without the bravery of survivors like Matt, who stepped up and spoke out.
“The most important thing to remember here is that all instances of sexual abuse have one thing in common and that is that the survivors are never at fault,” Attorney Erickson said in a conversation with Dr. Phil. “It’s the predators who are to blame and those who enable them.”
If you would like to learn more about this case, watch the full segment on Dr. Phil here.
Fighting to Protect Students at the University of Michigan
Grewal Law PLLC continues to fight against U-M’s culture of covering up sex abuse on campus. Time and again, U-M administration has protected and enabled abusers, and we’re here to make sure they are held accountable. We fight not just for those already harmed, but to save other students from having to experience the same trauma.
We are currently representing the survivors of sex abuse by Bruce Conforth, a famed U-M professor. U-M must be brought to justice for continually putting its reputation over student safety.
Contact our trauma-informed attorney team online. We can also be reached by phone at (888) 211-5798.