Long after Ronald Akins was brought to trial and sentenced for sexually assaulting and grooming 14 women and girls at Ninnekah Public Schools, the district itself has settled with the families of the girls for $7.5 million.
The amount is a new record for abuse cases against Oklahoma school districts. Kingfisher had previously held the top spot at $5 million.
The families accused the district and administrators of negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and violations of Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment. The former basketball coach pleaded guilty last year to 10 felony counts in Grady County District Court, including charges of rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, and lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16. He was sentenced to a total of 40 years, 25 of which will be served on probation after 15 years in prison.
Three of the girls are still minors.
The settlement case has been brewing since August 2021.
The first payment to the families will be $1.5 million within 90 days. According to KFOR News, $1 million will be paid through insurance and $500,000 would be drawn from the school’s general fund.
School administrators, who were originally named in the lawsuit, had their names withdrawn.