Dowd Settlement

Big news on another front, the following statement has just been issued:

This lawsuit has been settled through mediation to the mutual satisfaction of Kyle Dowd and his family and Duke University, and without any admission by any party of legal liability. The mediated settlement terms are, of course, confidential.

As reflected on Kyle’s transcript, he has received from Duke University a “P” in the Politics and Literature course he took in his senior year.

To review: the Dowds’ suit alleged grade retaliation, and had asked that Kyle’s grade in a class taught by Kim Curtis be changed to a “P” (pass). In this respect, then, the settlement is one-sided.

Two possible explanations for why did Duke settled:

1. The University recognized that Curtis’ behavior was wrong.
2. The University recognized that it could not win a lawsuit, given the strong evidence of retaliation against Curtis, who put in writing her belief that two of her students were at the least accomplices to rape.

Either way, Duke is to be commended for settling the case, thereby allowing for a just resolution to prevail.