Prep school says lawsuit settled in sex assault case

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire prep school has settled a lawsuit accusing it of failing to protect a girl who was sexually assaulted by a fellow student as part of a conquest ritual.

Chessy Prout was a 15-year-old freshman at St. Paul’s School in Concord when she accused senior Owen Labrie (luh-BREE’) of sexually assaulting her in 2014. Her parents sued in 2016, and a settlement was finalized this week.

Prout says she hopes the settlement motivates the school to create a culture where student well-being comes first.

The school, which denied the lawsuit’s claims, called the settlement a “welcomed outcome.”

Labrie is appealing convictions of sexual assault, child endangerment and using a computer to lure the girl.

The AP typically doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Prout has done.