Settlement announced after UNCSA sexual assault lawsuit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — UNC School of the Arts and plaintiffs’ attorneys announced a settlement agreement Friday related to lawsuits filed in 2021.

The $12.5 million settlement agreement ends litigation filed by 65 UNCSA alumni.

The lawsuits alleged sexual abuse and misconduct at UNCSA from the 1970s to the 1990s, according to a statement released Friday by the UNC System and UNCSA.

Over four years, the UNC System will pay $10 million to survivors and UNCSA will pay $2.5 million.

“This resolution marks the end of a decades-long journey for these former UNCSA students,” said Lisa Lanier, the plaintiffs’ attorney. “It takes tremendous courage to pursue claims based on past trauma, and we were honored to represent them in this process to take institutional responsibility for the inexcusable conduct they were subjected to. The university worked diligently with us to reach this settlement and recognized that it was time to make amends for the past.”

The lawsuits alleged that UNCSA officials failed to act for decades when faculty members sexually abused students.

“While this resolution cannot heal the wounds of the past, I sincerely hope that it will make the survivors who have come forward feel our commitment to listen to them, recognize them and do what is right for them,” said UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole. “This has undoubtedly been a dark time for UNCSA as we grappled with reports of sexual abuse, and we recognize the courage it took for these alumni to share their experiences. It has always been our intention to do what we can to reconcile with the past in a way that is consistent with our values ​​and with compassion and empathy for survivors. I am personally devastated that anyone on this campus has experienced abuse and am committed to doing everything we can to continually strengthen an environment of safety and trust at UNCSA.”