Florida State has officially taken yet another step in putting the Jameis Winston off-field circus deeper in its rearview mirror.
The university announced Monday afternoon that it has settled a Title IX federal lawsuit filed by Erica Kinsman last year. Kinsman had accused Winston, the former Seminoles quarterback, of raping her in December of 2012 while she was a student and he was a year away from winning the Heisman Trophy.
Kinsman will receive $950,000 from the university as part of the settlement, $700,000 of which will go to her attorneys. USA Today also wrote that "[t]he lump sum is the largest settlement for Title IX claims regarding indifference to a student’s sexual assault.”
Additionally, FSU has agreed to make a five-year commitment toward programs that will, in part, help prevent sexual assaults on campus.
As part of the settlement, the university did not admit to any wrongdoing in connection to Kinsman’s allegations against Winston.
“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 FSU president John Thrasher 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. ...
“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,” 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.”
Kinsman, who was reportedly forced to leave campus after her allegations made her a target of some FSU football fans, was understandably pleased with the outcome.
“I will always be disappointed that I had to leave the school I dreamed of attending since I was little,” Kinsman said in her statement confirming the settlement. “I am happy that FSU has committed to continue making changes in order to ensure a safer environment for all students.”
In January of 2015, Kinsman filed the Title IX lawsuit, seeking a trial by jury and damages, against the university’s trustees. In the suit, it was claimed that the university was responsible for Title IX violations because of a ‘clearly unreasonable response’” to the sexual assault allegations and “allowing a ‘hostile educational environment.’”
Winston was never charged criminally in connection to the allegations of sexual assault. The lawsuit was filed nearly three weeks after Winston was cleared in the school code of conduct hearing, which was also connected to the rape allegations. The accuser appealed that ruling, but it was subsequently upheld.
In April of 2014, attorney’s for the accuser blasted the university for either delaying or outright terminating a Title IX investigation into the allegations. Five months later, it was reported that the university had reopened the investigation.
Winston’s adviser subsequently released a scathing statement claiming that the accuser was the one dragging her feet when it came to the federally-mandated investigation. That adviser, David Cornwell, also accused the alleged victim’s camp of seeking $7 million from Winston to keep quiet.
Also in April of 2014, it was reported that the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has launched its own investigation into FSU’s handling of the case. That investigation is open and ongoing.