US university settles sex assault lawsuit for €2.23m

The University of Tennessee has settled for $2.48m (€2.23m) a lawsuit involving eight women who argued the school allowed a hostile sexual culture to fester, which led to sexual assaults by student-athletes.

The settlement comes as several incidents at US colleges and universities, some involving athletes, have focused attention on the issue of sexual assault on campuses in recent months.

Attorneys for the university and the women said in a joint statement they had been in some form of settlement negotiations since before the lawsuit was first filed in February and the case would be dismissed in light of the agreement.