The State Board of Regents says the University of Iowa will pay the bill for a legal firm hired to investigate how the allegations of sexual assault against two former players were handled by the school.
Regent Bonnie Campbell, who is leading the board’s three-member advisory committee charged with conducting a new investigation of the incident, released a statement that says the Regent’s board office "will review, approve, and pay all invoices from The Stolar Partnership law firm, with the understanding that the university will be responsible to reimburse the board using non-taxpayer dollars that may not include tuition funds."
Campbell’s statement says, "The taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for this – period." The Regents re-opened the investigation after learning letters from the alleged victim’s mother were not made available to them when they first reviewed the case and found the U-I had properly handled the case.
A spokesman for the Stoars Partnership says their investigation could cost up to $250,000. The agreement shows two lawyers from the firm will be paid $375 an hour to work on the case, another $305 an hour and a fourth $150 an hour. The actual cost of the investigation will depend on the actual hours needed to complete their work. They expect to have a written report on their findings in September.