According to a report by Nate Rau and Anita Wadhwani of the Tennessean, the University of Tennessee has settled its federal Title IX lawsuit.
Tennessee will pay the eight plaintiffs $2.48 million. The attorney fees are included in the settlement. The school also agreed to a special commission that will independently review how all schools in the UT system handle sexual assault cases. Half of the settlement will be paid by the athletic department, and half by the University.
According to the report, the plaintiffs agreed to withdraw their two complaints that were filed to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights back in 2015. The plaintiffs in the case alleged that the University, and the football team specifically, created a hostile sexual environment.
The lawsuit, originally filed back on February 9, led to a response from all 16 Tennessee coaches.
“Can we do better?” Tennessee football coach Butch Jones said at the time. “Yes, we can all do better, any team, company or organization looks to improve but I do know this: we have very good people. We have prideful individuals that love being at the University of Tennessee and representing the University of Tennessee.”
The settlement also comes just two days before the Tennessee lawyers were set to appear in a U.S. district court.
According to Mark Schlabach of ESPN, the two sides had a teleconference with a U.S. District Court Judge on Tuesday. The lawsuit had been scheduled to take place at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville starting in May of 2018.
Five of the six former athletes that were implicated in the lawsuit were football players. The only two who were charged with a crime, former linebacker A.J. Johnson and teammate Mike Williams, are set to stand trial for rape charges. The two pled not guilty to those charges.
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