$8 Million Settlement for NMSU Basketball Players Sexually Assaulted by Teammates

In late 2022 and early 2023, two New Mexico State University basketball players reported that teammates had subjected them to repeated sexual assaults framed as hazing rituals. The players alleged that three teammates forced them into situations where they were physically violated, and that coaches and university administrators were made aware of the incidents but took no meaningful action to stop the abuse or protect them.

When the allegations became public in spring 2023, NMSU canceled the remainder of its 2022-23 basketball season, a significant institutional acknowledgment of the severity of what had occurred. The state attorney general launched a separate criminal investigation. New Mexico's Department of Education called for an inquiry into the athletic department. Both players left the university and said they had no intention of returning.

Attorney Ramez Shamieh of Shamieh Law, joined by co-counsel including the firms Almanzar and Youngers and Jones Herbert Campbell and Marsaw, filed suit against the NMSU Board of Regents in Doña Ana County. The complaint alleged that the university created conditions that allowed sexual assault to continue under the cover of team culture, and that those in positions of authority chose institutional protection over player safety.

The university, funded through the New Mexico Risk Management Division, agreed to settle for $8 million in June 2023. Of that total, one plaintiff and his father received $4,125,000, while the second plaintiff received $3,875,000.

Law360 and multiple regional broadcasters reported the settlement was announced June 28, 2023. The state's open records law required the terms to be disclosed publicly.