http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gator...te-university-settle-title-ix-lawsuit/2262679
Jameis Winston's accuser, Florida State University settle Title IX lawsuit
Jameis Winston's accuser and Florida State University have reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit, ending a months-long legal saga between Zephyrhills' Erica Kinsman and her former school.
Kinsman will receive $250,000 in exchange for dropping the case; her attorneys will receive $700,000.
"Although we regret we will never be able to tell our full story in court, it is apparent that a trial many months from now would have left FSU fighting over the past rather than looking toward its very bright future," FSU president John Thrasher said in a statement. "We have decided to instead move forward even though we have full faith that the ultimate outcome of a trial would have been consistent with the previous law enforcement investigations and retired Supreme Court Justice Major Harding's findings in the student conduct hearing."
Monday's settlement is the latest development in a case dating back to a December 2012 off-campus sexual encounter between Winston and Kinsman when both were freshmen at FSU.
Kinsman told police that night that she was raped and identified Winston - a prized recruit who was redshirting for the Seminoles - as the suspect a few weeks later; Winston has denied all wrongdoing and said the sex was consensual.
After a State Attorney's Office investigation and an FSU disciplinary hearing ended without charges against Winston, Kinsman sued the school. Her January 2015 lawsuit alleged that FSU deliberately hid sexual assault claims against Winston "to protect the football program." A year after the encounter, Winston won the Heisman Trophy and led the Seminoles to the program's third national championship.
The suit - first filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe - accused FSU of violating the federal gender equity law Title IX with its "clearly unreasonable response" and "hostile educational environment" that forced her to leave the university as the case became public in November 2013. Title IX requires schools to investigate and remedy gender discrimination, including sexual harassment and rape.
The Tampa Bay Times does not generally name victims or possible victims of sexual assault. But Kinsman has identified herself in court documents and has told her story publicly in The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assaults on college campuses.
FSU has said it provided Kinsman with counseling through the victim's advocate program and that the appropriate university officials didn't know about the accusations until after they became public. A U.S. District Court trial had been scheduled for September in Tallahassee.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has been conducting its own investigation into FSU's handling of the case since April 2014. Similar investigations are open at 160 other schools, including the University of Miami and USF.
Kinsman has also filed a separate civil lawsuit against Winston, last year's No. 1 overall NFL draft pick who just finished his rookie season with the Bucs. Winston has countersued Kinsman for defamation. That litigation is ongoing, and a mediation session is scheduled for July.
This breaking news story will be updated.
Jameis Winston's accuser, Florida State University settle Title IX lawsuit
Jameis Winston's accuser and Florida State University have reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit, ending a months-long legal saga between Zephyrhills' Erica Kinsman and her former school.
Kinsman will receive $250,000 in exchange for dropping the case; her attorneys will receive $700,000.
"Although we regret we will never be able to tell our full story in court, it is apparent that a trial many months from now would have left FSU fighting over the past rather than looking toward its very bright future," FSU president John Thrasher said in a statement. "We have decided to instead move forward even though we have full faith that the ultimate outcome of a trial would have been consistent with the previous law enforcement investigations and retired Supreme Court Justice Major Harding's findings in the student conduct hearing."
Monday's settlement is the latest development in a case dating back to a December 2012 off-campus sexual encounter between Winston and Kinsman when both were freshmen at FSU.
Kinsman told police that night that she was raped and identified Winston - a prized recruit who was redshirting for the Seminoles - as the suspect a few weeks later; Winston has denied all wrongdoing and said the sex was consensual.
After a State Attorney's Office investigation and an FSU disciplinary hearing ended without charges against Winston, Kinsman sued the school. Her January 2015 lawsuit alleged that FSU deliberately hid sexual assault claims against Winston "to protect the football program." A year after the encounter, Winston won the Heisman Trophy and led the Seminoles to the program's third national championship.
The suit - first filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe - accused FSU of violating the federal gender equity law Title IX with its "clearly unreasonable response" and "hostile educational environment" that forced her to leave the university as the case became public in November 2013. Title IX requires schools to investigate and remedy gender discrimination, including sexual harassment and rape.
The Tampa Bay Times does not generally name victims or possible victims of sexual assault. But Kinsman has identified herself in court documents and has told her story publicly in The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assaults on college campuses.
FSU has said it provided Kinsman with counseling through the victim's advocate program and that the appropriate university officials didn't know about the accusations until after they became public. A U.S. District Court trial had been scheduled for September in Tallahassee.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has been conducting its own investigation into FSU's handling of the case since April 2014. Similar investigations are open at 160 other schools, including the University of Miami and USF.
Kinsman has also filed a separate civil lawsuit against Winston, last year's No. 1 overall NFL draft pick who just finished his rookie season with the Bucs. Winston has countersued Kinsman for defamation. That litigation is ongoing, and a mediation session is scheduled for July.
This breaking news story will be updated.
