Duke University has reached an undisclosed financial settlement with three former men’s lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, the school said Monday.
“We welcomed their exoneration and deeply regret the difficult year they and their families have had to endure,” the school said in a statement. “These young men and their families have been the subject of intense scrutiny that has taken a heavy toll.”
Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans were indicted last year on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense after a woman told police she was attacked at a March 2006 team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. Duke suspended all three players, canceled the team’s season and forced coach Mike Pressler to resign.
The allegations were debunked in April by state prosecutors, who said the players were the “innocent” victims of a “tragic rush to accuse” by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong. He was disbarred Saturday for breaking more than two-dozen rules of professional conduct in his handling of the case.
The players’ families racked up millions of dollars of legal bills in the players’ defense, and appear likely to file a civil lawsuit against Nifong.
Duke said it reached a private agreement with each former student after determining “it is in the best interests of the Duke community to eliminate the possibility of future litigation and move forward.” Earlier this month, Duke said it had reached an undisclosed financial settlement with Pressler, who is now the coach at Division II Bryant University in Rhode Island.
The players said in a joint statement, also released by the school, they hoped the agreement would “begin to bring the Duke family back together again.”
“The events of the last year tore the Duke community apart, and forcibly separated us from the university we love,” the statement said. “We were the victims of a rogue prosecutor concerned only with winning an election, and others determined to railroad three Duke lacrosse players and to diminish the reputation of Duke University.”
