Florida State University has finally settled a federal Title IX lawsuit with Erica Kinsman, a former student who publicly claimed that she was raped by football player Jameis Winston.
The school’s former quarterback – now a quarterback on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – caused a stir in 2012 after an alleged rape. Kinsman has since dropped the case and will receive $250,000 of the settlement, while her attorney will get $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,” said school President James Thrasher in a statement Monday. He added that the main reason why the school settled was to avoid millions of dollars in legal fees.
“We have an obligation to our students, their parents and Florida taxpayers,” he said. “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.”
According to CNN, Kinsman announced her approval for the school’s new policies on sexual assault, which included the publishing of a victim’s rights handbook and a preemptive course for freshman regarding sex and relationships.
“I’ll always be disappointed that I had to leave the school I dreamed of attending since I was little,” she said. “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 even more positive change, not just at FSU, but across the country.”
Kinsman filed her lawsuit anonymously but revealed her identity in a documentary about rape on college campuses last year. She accused FSU of “in concert with Tallahassee Police, took steps to ensure that Winston’s [alleged] rape of plaintiff would not be investigated either by the university or law enforcement,” and accused the school of failing to take necessary measures.
In 2014 Winston apparently alerted FSU’s athletic department of the allegations, “but the department did not initially file a report with the school’s Title IX administrator because no charges were filed and because other players who were with Winston said there was no assault.”
