KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is paying $2.48 million to settle a lawsuit filed by eight unidentified women who said the school had violated Title IX regulations and created a "hostile sexual environment" through a policy of indifference toward assaults by athletes.
Lawyers for the school and the plaintiffs issued a joint press release announcing the settlement. The payment will be split equally between Tennessee's athletic department and the school's central administration. Lawyers representing the school said no taxpayer dollars, student fees or donor funds would be used to fund the settlement.
Six women filed the suit in federal court in Nashville on Feb. 9. Two more plaintiffs added their names to an amended complaint two weeks later.
Title IX is a federal statute that bans discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.