Tennessee settles sexual assault lawsuit for $2.48 million
The University of Tennessee settled their sexual assault case for $2.48 million.
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Eight women suing the University of Tennessee for sexual assaults committed by members of the football program that created a “hostile sexual environment” have reached a settlement with the school for nearly $2.5 million.
The settlement comes two days before Tennessee’s lawyers were due in U.S. District Court. The $2.48 million settlement will see half paid by the Tennessee athletic department with the other half covered by the UT-Knoxville campus if it’s approved by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel’s M.J. Slaby.
Tennessee officials were clearly interested in ending this chapter and closing the book on the lawsuit and believe they’ve done the right thing according to the report even though they are admitting zero guilt.
“[It’s] the right thing to do” in order to “prevent an emotional toll on those involved, protect the reputation of UT and avoid added legal costs that the university estimated could reach $5.5 million.”
“One side ultimately would have won in court several years from now, and we felt confident about our legal position,” Raja Jubran, vice chair of the UT board of trustees, said via news release. “But I truly believe that both sides would have lost.”
The settlement means head football coach Butch Jones, athletic director Dave Hart or outgoing Chancellor Jimmy Cheek will be deposed or have to testify at trial. Now, the next step for Tennessee is to take measures to prevent a lawsuit like this from ever happening again.
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Measures are being taken to create awareness, preventing discrimination and abuse in any form and a new independent commission will be created to monitor the states and the universities response to sexual assault and to make sure student-athletes aren’t given preferential treatment.
“We have a very intense ongoing program with athletics and each year it becomes more structured, more organized and more deliberate,” outgoing Chancellor Cheek said, via The Tennessean.