$950K Settlement For Jameis Winston Sexual Assault Accuser

TAMPA, FL — Rather than face a lengthy – and potentially costlier – court battle with a former student who accused Jameis Winston of sexual assault, Florida State University announced Monday it’s settling a lawsuit filed on the woman’s behalf for $950,000.

Erica Kinsman’s Title IX lawsuit alleged the university failed to respond in a timely fashion when she accused the then quarterback of sexual assault in 2012.

“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,” FSU President John Thrasher said 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.”

Kinsman will receive $250,000 of the settlement while her attorneys are expected to get $700,000 the university noted.

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Kinsman accused Winston, who is now the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of raping her in December 2012 while he was a student at FSU. Kinsman has said she was drinking at a Tallahassee bar and was taken back to an apartment where she says Winston assaulted her.

Winston has been cleared of any wrongdoing by FSU and has stated in the past the two had consensual sex. In late 2013, a Florida prosecutor opted against filing criminal charges in the case.

Thrasher said FSU’s main reason for agreeing with the settlement was to avoid the potential of spending millions more dollars in fighting a lengthy court battle.

“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. “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.”

Since 2013, FSU has instituted a number of changes to improve its on-campus response to sexual assaults. The school has formed a prevention task group, hired a full-time Title IX coordinator and has published a Victims’ Rights and Resource handbook, among other measures.

“Since April 2014, there have been more than 100 training sessions conducted on the FSU campus about dealing with sexual assault and how to prevent it,” Thrasher said. “In this time, we have increased our institutional commitment to tackle this complex problem. There should be no doubt that Florida State is serious about fighting sexual assault.”

Kinsman, who made her identity public in a documentary, has a separate lawsuit pending against Winston.

FSU’s full statement is available on the university’s website.

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