Florida State has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit with the former student who accused former Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston of raping her in December 2012, her lawyers and the school announced Monday.
Florida State settles Title IX lawsuit with Jameis Winston accuser for $950,000
The Buccaneers quarterback and Erica Kinsman’s cases against one another are still active.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Winston was not charged criminally, and he was cleared in a university Title IX hearing.
The student, Erica Kinsman, sued Florida State more than a year ago over what she viewed as an indifferent and insufficient response to her accusation. She sued under Title IX, the federal statute that regulates public universities’ handling of sexual assault and other sexually discriminant charges.
Klinsman said she appreciated that the school is instituting reforms.
“I will always be disappointed that I had to leave the school I dreamed of attending since I was little,” Kinsman said in a statement. “I am happy that FSU has committed to continue making changes in order to ensure a safer environment for all students. My hope is that the federal investigation of my complaint by the Office of Civil Rights will produce more positive change, not just at FSU, but across the country.”
According to Kinsman’s attorneys, it’s the biggest lump sum payment in Title IX history over a school’s handling of a sexual assault case.
Florida State admitted no liability in its handling of the case, according to USA Today’s Rachel Axon.
“We have an obligation to our students, their parents and Florida taxpayers to deal with this case, as we do all litigation, in a financially responsible manner,” university president John Thrasher said in a statement. “With all the economic demands we face, at some point it doesn’t make sense to continue even though we are convinced we would have prevailed.”
Thrasher took the university presidency in November 2014.
Kinsman has also filed suit against Winston himself. The quarterback, now with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, countersued for defamation, and a trial is pending for January 2017.
On Tuesday, Kinsman was reportedly set to be deposed as part of those proceedings. That would’ve included an examination by both her own and Florida State’s lawyers.
FSU settlement also comes a day before attorneys were scheduled to depose Erica Kinsman
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