San José State Settles Alleged Sex Abuse Case for $3.3M | Inside Higher Ed

San José State University reached a $3.3 million settlement with 15 former students who say they were sexually abused by a longtime sports trainer, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A federal civil rights investigation found that San José State did not take adequate action in response to the athletes’ reports and that it retaliated against two employees who raised repeated concerns about the trainer, Scott Shaw.

Female student athletes reported that Shaw touched their breasts, groins, buttocks and/or pubic areas during what was described to them as “trigger-point therapy” or “pressure-point therapy.” The earliest allegations of improper touching date to December 2009 and the most recent to February 2020. Shaw, who retired from the university in August 2020, has denied the allegations.