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LANSING, Mich. -- The state of Michigan has obtained a rare life preserver from the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck as part of a federal lawsuit settlement. The lawsuit, filed by Larry Orr, accused a Michigan state police officer of violating his rights during a discredited sexual abuse investigation. Orr will receive $600,000 in the settlement and agreed to relinquish the life ring, which he found on the Lake Superior shore after the Fitzgerald sank in November 1975.
The inclusion of the life preserver in the settlement has raised questions, as it was unrelated to the lawsuit's original claims. Lieutenant David Busacca's attorney unexpectedly negotiated for the artifact during settlement talks. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Grand described the settlement conference as "unusual."
Shanon Banner, spokesperson for the Michigan State Police, stated that the agency is not comfortable with the life preserver being part of the settlement and plans to contact Orr's attorney. The life ring, previously loaned to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, is now in the state's possession.
The life preserver's value was reportedly significant, representing about half of the settlement amount. Orr had intended to auction it, anticipating increased interest around the shipwreck's 50th anniversary. The Edmund Fitzgerald disaster, which claimed 29 lives, was famously memorialized in Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."