Nassar planned return to clinic before end of 2014 inquiry
EAST LANSING - Larry Nassar told MSU officials that he was planning to start seeing patients again in July 2014 even though he had not yet been cleared of sexual assault claims, documents show.
He told several people at MSU, including the dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Title IX investigator assigned to his case, that he was planning to return to clinical duties on July 1, more than two months into the internal investigation but also more than two weeks before the date of the final report, according to documents the State Journal obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
It's unclear if anyone at the university, which fired Nassar in September, stopped him from seeing patients during the investigation.
On Tuesday, MSU spokesman Jason Cody declined to say if that happened, only that as part of the 2014 investigation Nassar was reassigned from clinical duties and that due to pending litigation and internal investigations it was inappropriate to comment further.
However, in an email on Friday, Cody told the State Journal that Nassar "did not see patients while the investigation was ongoing."
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Among the documents the State Journal obtained through a records request is a June 20, 2014 email from Nassar to Kristine Moore, the university's Title IX investigator assigned to the internal sexual assault inquiry. Nassar said he was leaving for a family vacation and then returning "to the clinic July 1 to see patients."
It appears as if Moore then forwarded Nassar's email to William Strampel, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, and two attorneys in the university's Office of the General Counsel. Nearly all of what Moore wrote in that email was redacted from the copy provided to the State Journal.
Strampel's office directed questions to Cody.
In an email to Strampel on the morning of June 30, Nassar said that earlier in the month he had "notified" Moore that he had patients scheduled for July 1.
"I just wanted to let you know that unless I am told other wise (sic) I believe I am allowed to start back in the clinic tomorrow," Nassar wrote. "Kristine is in the process of finishing her written report."
Strampel wrote back the following morning, on July 1.
"Larry, if you do have patient (sic) scheduled, Please (sic) be sure you have someone in the room with you at all times until the report is finished," Strampel wrote.
Nassar told Strampel in an email later that day that he had arranged to have athletic training students shadow him in the clinic.
The 2014 internal Title IX report that cleared Nassar of any MSU policy violations wasn't finalized until July 18, and the letter to the woman who reported that Nassar sexually assaulted her wasn't dated until July 28, according to university documents the State Journal obtained last year.
Strampel and Nassar didn't reach their agreement on protocols required for Nassar to return to full practice until July 29.
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ContactMatt Mencarini at (517) 267-1347 or mmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattMencarini.