NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A lawsuit has been settled between a Tennessee school district and a former student who was kidnapped by a teacher when she was 15.
Tad Cummins sparked a 39-day nationwide manhunt when he fled the state with the former Culleoka Unit School student on March, 13, 2017. They were later found in a remote area of northern California.
The girl and her father sued the Maury County School district in 2018, accusing teachers and the school's principal of ignoring several red flags regarding Cummins.
The woman, now 18, was awarded $650,000 in a settlement agreement last month, news outlets reported Tuesday. It was mediated by an attorney in Nashville.
FILE - This April 20, 2017, file photo released by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office shows Tad Cummins. Cummins was accused of running away with a 15-year-old student in March 2017, setting off a nationwide manhunt. (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
The victim's family said Cummins groomed her for months, kissing her and making inappropriate comments toward her in the classroom. The teen reported the kissing incident to school administrators who started an investigation but did not contact her parents or remove her from Cummins' class, the lawsuit said.
The settlement agreement said the compromise "does not constitute an admission of liability on the part" of the school district.
Both sides agreed to not comment any further.
Cummins pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines for sex and obstructing justice in January 2019. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.