STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut has agreed to pay nearly $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the school mishandled sexual assault reports.
The university will pay $1,285,000 to five current and former UConn students, who claim the school did not take their cases seriously, to avoid legal proceedings, Boston Globe reports.
UConn does not admit wrongdoing in the settlement of the federal lawsuit, which was filed under the Title IX law.
Silvana Moccia, a former UConn ice hockey player, will receive $900,000 – the bulk of the settlement. She claims she was kicked off the team after she reported that a male teammate raped her in August 2011. The other plaintiffs, Kylie Angell, Erica Daniels, Carolyn Luby and Rosemary Richi, will receive payments ranging from $25,000 to $125,000.
In agreeing to the settlement, the women acknowledged that the university has since taken steps to improve its prevention and response to sexual assaults. UConn has offered better training for staff and students and has also formed a special victims unit within its campus police department.
The university remains subject of a Title IX investigation by the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, Philly.com reports.
