A former University of Virginia swim team member has dropped the lawsuit against five upperclassmen, whom he have alleged of hazing him and other freshmen swimmers. This comes after a confidential settlement has been reached by both parties.
In a report by ABC News, the attorneys of both parties have issued statements on Tuesday. The lawsuit was filed by Anthony Marcantonio in June 2015 in the U.S. District Court. He said the five upperclassmen subjected him and other incoming team members to hazing during the start of the school year 2014 to 2015.
The full terms of the private settlement have not been released, but the five people accused have issued an apology. The former swim team members have been identified as Charles Rommel, David Ingraham, Jacob Pearce, Kyle Dudzinski, and Luke Papendick. The statement regarding the settlement also says that the defendants' actions during the aforementioned school year's Welcome Week was never intended to harm Marcantonio or anyone else.
The five have denied the more serious allegations by Marcantonio but they acknowledged that they participated in a swim team tradition. The tradition reportedly included "inappropriate words and actions." The tradition then ended in the wake of Marcantonio's lawsuit.
Accordingly, Marcantonio claimed in his lawsuit that he was hated by the team when he reported the hazing issue to the coach and the administrators of the school. He then left the school and now sims for Northwestern University, The Daily Progress reported. He alleged that he was forced to drink alcohol, locked in a bathroom, and subjected to sexual assault or sexual battery.
Reportedly, the hazing took place at an off-campus address known only as the "swim club." This was after the incoming members of the swim team received an email. Part of the mail reads: "When I call, you come running; when I talk, you shut the f- up and listen; when I sneeze, you get on your bony knees and lick the floor spotless," The Washington Post reported.
The University of Virginia has not yet commented on this matter.
