Duke Settles With Falsely Accused Lacross Players

[kfrost06]

(CBS) DURHAM, N.C. Duke University has reached an undisclosed financial settlement with three former lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, the school said Monday.

Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans were indicted last year on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense after a woman told police she was attacked at a March 2006 team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. Duke suspended all three, canceled the team's season and forced their coach to resign.

The allegations were debunked in April by state prosecutors, who said the players were the innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse" by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong. He was disbarred Saturday for breaking more than two dozen rules of professional conduct in his handling of the case.

The players' families racked up millions of dollars of legal bills in their defense, and appear likely to file a lawsuit against Nifong.

Duke said in a statement that it had reached a private settlement with each former student after determining "it is in the best interests of the Duke community to eliminate the possiblity of future litigation and move forward."

The lacrosse players were cleared of all charges after the state attorney general took over the case earlier this year. North Carolina's State Bar has charged Nifong with violating the rules of professional conduct, alleging he withheld the DNA test results from the defense, lied to the court and bar investigators, and made inflammatory comments about the athletes during his investigation.

Nifong had calling the players a "bunch of hooligans" and had confidently proclaimed last year that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl."

[kfrost06]

The only true criminal in the whole case was the DA prosecuting the case, Mike Nifong. What an SOB he was, fanning racial tensions for his own career and more than willing to ruin the lives of at least three men to get his face in the spot light. Oddly enough he won't do interviews now.

[Hoggage_54]

Yeah, he was a tool. I think he was trying to make a name for himself when he saw that some rich kids were suspected of having committed a crime. When you're a lawyer, you dream of the big "take down". If in fact they had committed the crime and he successfully prosecuted them, he would have become a famous lawyer. Greed can strike anyone!