Legal fees in Sasha Menu Courey case capped at $120,000

A contract shows the law firm hired by the University of Missouri Board of Curators to investigate how the University of Missouri handled a student’s rape allegation has capped its billable hours at $120,000.

The Dowd Bennett Law Firm is investigating how the school handled the allegations by former swimmer Sasha Menu Courey, who committed suicide in 2011, about 16 months after she was the alleged victim of a sexual assault by one or more football players.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports the contract says the law firm has capped its billable hours at $120,000, not including expenses. The firm is scheduled to report its findings to the curators April 11.

UM system spokesman John Fougere says funding for the inquiry comes from interest in the university’s cash account.