The money Penn State University has spent in legal and consulting fees for the Jerry Sandusky scandal has topped $50 million, reports Centre Daily in Pennsylvania. The university has spent $50,459,828 through July 31 for work done by more than three-dozen firms. The potential total cost of the scandal skyrockets to more than $158 million when factoring in the dollar value of the total settlement offers with Sandusky claimants and the full NCAA fine, which the university is paying in yearly installments.
More than half of the work in July, at $574,335, was billed under the category of legal services. Those costs cover the work of law firms representing ex-president Graham Spanier, ex-athletic director Tim Curley and retired vice president Gary Schultz, who are awaiting trial on perjury, obstruction of justice and related charges. As former officers of Penn State, the men were entitled to the university’s paying their legal bills. Those costs are only expected to increase as the former employees prepare for trial. The next largest billing in July went to legal services, consulting and PR for the university, which includes the firms handling Penn State's own legal defenses, such as Feinberg Rozen, Saul Ewing and Duane Morris.