Lou Anna Simon is cleared of criminal charges.  An Eaton County  Circuit Court Judge is dismissing the criminal charges against the former Michigan State University President saying prosecutors failed to show enough evidence. That’s in spite of a district court judge earlier ruling the opposite and moving the case forward for trial. The controversial decision from the circuit court is being appealed.

The case surrounds Simon’s actions regarding disgraced serial sexual abuser Larry Nassar. Simon was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor for lying to investigating police about what she knew about Nassar’s criminal behavior. Attorneys representing Nassar victims say the court’s decision is a disgrace and amounts to yet another slap in the face of his victims. They point to plenty of evidence in the case, which is why it was advanced for trial. The Michigan State Attorney General’s office says an appeal is already in the works to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Simon’s attorney claims the Circuit Court Judge’s decision to toss the case completely vindicates the former MSU President. He says the information presented to the lower court was not evidence but more like conjecture. Many Nassar victims have already offered comments about the decision. The Detroit News reports Sarah Klein, the first woman believed to have been abused by Nassar, calls the decision "beyond disturbing and quite frankly, despicable."

Attorney John Manly represents many women who were abused by Nassar during their college years, says a jury should have been given the opportunity to decide Simon’s guilt or innocence. He says it is wrong for the judge to decide unilaterally. "This is yet another failure of the justice system in the Nassar case," he said. "This is a gut punch by the judge to every survivor of Larry Nassar."

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