Michigan State agrees to pay nearly $30 million to shooting survivors

• Michigan State University has agreed to pay nearly $30 million to three victims of the February 2023 campus shooting
• The school previously agreed to pay $5 million each to the families of three students who were killed
• Lawyers say the settlements help victims with one step of the healing process  

Michigan State University will pay nearly $30 million in total to three people critically injured during the February 2023 campus shooting.

Lawyers for Nathan Statly, Troy Forbush, and Yukai “John” Hao announced Tuesday they had reached settlements with the university. 

Those three are among five people who were critically injured that night by a Lansing gunman who also killed three students. MSU previously agreed to give $5 million each to the families of the three slain students: Alexandria Verner, Arielle Diamond Anderson and Brian Fraser. 

Statly, Forbush and Hao had alleged in legal filings that MSU was negligent in failing to adequately safeguard the campus from a potential shooting and by its actions or inactions, as the attack unfolded.

Two other students were critically injured the night of the shooting: Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez and Hanyang Tao, whose identity was disclosed in court filings. MSU declined to comment on the status of any legal filings or settlement negotiations involving Huapilla-Perez and Tao. 

Statly, who was a junior studying environmental biology and zoology, was shot in the head. This resulted “in profound brain injuries requiring extensive medical treatment and ongoing care,” according to the news release. He will receive $14.25 million. 

Hao, who was a junior studying economics, was shot in the back, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He will receive $13 million, and MSU is waiving tuition and housing for him to complete his undergraduate and graduate degrees. MSU has also agreed to provide health insurance. 

Forbush, who was a junior studying music education and vocal performance,  was shot in the chest and “suffered a serious lung injury, resulting in surgery and extensive rehabilitative therapy,” according to the press release. He will receive a $2.5 million settlement. 

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“Michigan State University understands the depth of the impact of the events of February 13 and extends our deepest condolences to those injured and to their families and loved ones,” MSU said in a statement. “Our university community stands with them and continues to work with them as they heal and recover from the tragedy. While the university cannot comment on any specific settlements, we truly hope reaching a resolution helps provide some measure of relief, support and care to impacted individuals and their families.”

'Those dreams are gone’

Forbush and Statly are represented by Grewal Law founder and Managing Partner Mick Grewal and senior litigation attorney Scott Weidenfeller. Hao is represented by Gruel Mills principal and senior litigation attorney William Azkoul. 

Grewal told Bridge Michigan Statly will need care for the rest of his life, and this settlement will allow him to receive that.

“He's never going to be able to work again,” Grewal said. “So there's no amount of money that, in my opinion, could be paid for anybody to go through what he has to go through.” 

Grewal said Forbush’s settlement reflects that he was studying to become an opera singer and now has permanent lung damage.

“Those dreams are gone,” Grewal said. “He's never going to have that again, and we don't know the extent of his injury to his lung. Can you imagine not being able to breathe when you wake up one morning? That's what he has to endure.” 

Azkoul told Bridge Michigan the settlement means “the world” to Hao and his family.

“His mom and dad, his little brother, they now know that there will be a path forward for him,” Azkoul said. “An ability to reach his goals to be educated, to one day live in a home that will be able to accommodate the special needs that he now has, to one day have a family, to one day be able to not worry about who is going to cover this rehabilitation.” 

Azkoul said Hao’s settlement is a full and final resolution, meaning that he cannot sue the university. Azkoul said he believes that despite the time passed since the shooting, the settlement reached is fair. 

“Yes, it did take about 26 months from the time of the shooting, but I think everybody worked hard, and I don't fault them for the time that it did take,” Azkoul said. “It's not to say that it wasn't difficult on John or his family, because it was, but I would say that in the end, everybody worked in good faith.”