Posted on 06/18/2007 12:33:46 PM PDT by BradtotheBone
DURHAM - Duke University has reached a settlement with each of the three former lacrosse players and their families. The university made the announcement this afternoon.
According to a press release issued by Duke, the terms of the settlement will not be disclosed.
In a statement, Duke officials said the board of trustees and Duke President Richard Brodhead had determined that it was in the best interests of the Duke community to eliminate the possibility of future litigation and move forward
"This past year has been hard for many people who care about Duke -- for students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and friends -- and for the three students and their families most of all," the Duke statement said. "We resolve to bring the Duke family together again, and to work to protect others from similar injustices in the criminal justice system in the future. "
The players, Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, also provided a statement.
"Years ago, each of us made a decision to attend Duke because it is one of the greatest universities in the nation," the players stated. "We were drawn to Duke because of its sense of community. The events of the last year tore the Duke community apart, and forcibly separated us from the university we love.
"It is impossible to fully describe what we, our families and team endured. As we said from day one, we are innocent. But it took three-hundred and ninety-four days, and the intervention of the North Carolina Attorney General, before our innocence was formally declared. ...We hope that today's resolution will begin to bring the Duke family back together again, and we look forward to working with the University to develop and implement initiatives that will prevent similar injustices and ensure that the lessons of the last year are never forgotten."
This is bed news. I want lawsuits to go on forever.
What the hell-- that doesn't sound like much of an apology to me. That sounds like mealy-mouthed bureaucratic mumbling, devoid of any real admission of responsibility.
Blaming it on the "criminal justice system" is a cop out. The hairy-legged hemp-wearing pot-bangers stampeded Duke into a grossly unjust rush to judgment.
Why didn't they demand that Duke clear these innocent mens' names with an unequivocal admission of error?
No news is bed news.
Yeah I usually watch the news when I’m in bed too.
Wearing my jammies.
I bet the City of Durham lawyers are on the phone to the player’s lawyers - they are next. Duke probably got the 88 included in the setttlement. But I believe the City of Durham is liable for the acts of its employees, so they better be brushing off the old check book.
I’m terribly sed over all the bed news.
They can consolidate and change venue to NJ or NY since they are out of state residents.
A lawyer is sitting on a three legged stool, MILKING THE COW.
Getting “reimbursed” for the legal expenses alone, let alone “close to enough to cover their legal fees” just highlights how accurate that cartoon is. It also accentuates the fact that the new robber barons are lawyers, e.g. an attempt at $54 million for trousers lost at the dry cleaners.
When is the legal profession going to clean its own house?
“So like is the coach that was immediately fired will be rehired with back pay?”
No, he recently settled with Duke also.
Thanks for having a good sense of humor. I must have had “bed” on the mind.
Thanks for having a good sense of humor. I must have had “bed” on the mind.
Thanks for having a good sense of humor. I must have had “bed” on the mind.
Don’t know how that came up triplicate. I only posted once.
Forced to resign = fired. Duke was simply too gutless to admit it.
They were suspended, weren’t they?
“This past year has been hard for students and people who care about duke”.BULLFEATHERS! The only people this travesty has been hard on is the duke lacross team and the three boys who were charged with a non existant crime.
Easier to defend if it wasn't the lacrosse team that was at issue ;-)
Agreed,been to that rodeo before.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.