Northwestern reached a settlement with a group of student plaintiffs in their claims of personal injury against the University, among other defendants, relating to allegations of hazing on the football team.
The settlement comes nearly two years after University President Michael Schill terminated former football coach Pat Fitzgerald and instituted several safeguards after the allegations of hazing and sexual abuse were made public. In lawsuits, players claimed they were subjected to racial discrimination, hazing, physical abuse and retaliation.
The students and University engaged in a “mediation process” which resulted in the settlement, a University spokesperson told The Daily. The settlement documentation is still being finalized, according to the spokesperson. Attorneys for the plaintiffs told The Daily the terms of the settlement are confidential.
“We intend to continue to work through the remaining outstanding issues to finalize a settlement that will hopefully allow both sides to move forward in a positive way,” they wrote in a statement.
The settlement did not resolve Fitzgerald’s breach of contract suit against NU and Schill.
“While the settlement resolves the claims brought by the players, Coach Fitzgerald’s claims against Northwestern remain. He continues to assert that Northwestern illegally terminated his employment, violated an oral contract and defamed him, causing significant damage to his sterling reputation,” Dan K. Webb and Matthew R. Carter, Fitzgerald’s counsel, said in a statement.
A trial date for Fitzgerald’s case has been set for Nov. 3, according to Webb and Carter’s statement.
This is a developing story that will be updated with more details as they become available.
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