Dive Brief:
- The University of Connecticut has agreed to pay $1.28 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed by five current and former students who claimed the school mishandled their sexual assault and rape cases.
- UConn announced the settlement on Friday, saying it wanted to avoid a lengthy and expensive trial, even though it denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
- The individual amounts awarded in the settlement range from $25,000 to $900,000.
Dive Insight:
The lawsuit was filed Nov. 1, accusing UConn of failing to provide protection and assistance to the plaintiffs after they had reported being raped or sexually assaulted. In October, four of the five plaintiffs had filed a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. That complaint claimed the school mishandled their sex assault and sexual harassment cases. The four plaintiffs who were in both lawsuits agreed to waive their rights to any "remedies" from the Title IX case, which is still continuing because three other current or former students are also plaintiffs.