Michigan is relinquishing ownership of a rare artifact from the iconic Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck after acquiring it through an unrelated lawsuit settlement. Larry Orr is set to receive one of the ship’s life rings, with the state agreeing to pay $600,000 US to resolve his lawsuit regarding police misconduct.
Orr, now 77, found the life ring and a fragment of a lifeboat on the Upper Peninsula shoreline in Michigan just eight days after the tragic sinking of the Fitzgerald in Lake Superior in 1975. Recalling the discovery, Orr mentioned a sense of unease and hope that someone might have survived the disaster, although no signs of life were found.
Half a century later, Orr was engaged in discussions with the Michigan State Police to settle a lawsuit concerning alleged violations of his rights during a disproven sexual abuse investigation by Lt. David Busacca. As negotiations progressed, the state unexpectedly expressed interest in the Fitzgerald life ring, which Busacca had noticed among Orr’s belongings during a search of his Michigan residence.
Feeling manipulated yet in need of funds to relocate from a recreational vehicle in Yulee, Fla., Orr, along with his attorney Shannon Smith, agreed to include the ring in the settlement, doubling the amount to $600,000 from around $300,000. Despite believing that he deserved more compensation for his ordeal, Orr accepted the revised terms.
Following public scrutiny of the unusual agreement, subsequent discussions among legal representatives resulted in a revised arrangement: Orr will retain possession of the ring, while taxpayers will still bear the $600,000 cost to resolve the police misconduct lawsuit. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Mich., where Orr had previously permitted the display of the distinctive orange ring bearing the word “Fitzgerald,” may no longer showcase the artifact as Orr contemplates selling it at auction.
Orr disclosed his intentions to utilize the proceeds to purchase a modular home and address urgent financial needs, such as his wife’s ailing car, emphasizing the significance of maximizing his resources.
