>This is a massive institution with a 50B purse. Litigating this is peanuts for them. Companies, large ones, settle all the time even if not at fault to avoid

>This is a massive institution with a 50B purse. Litigating this is peanuts for them. Companies, large ones, settle all the time even if not at fault to avoid a lengthy trial which damages their reputation. It can have nothing to do with culpability. 3% of civil cases reach a verdict. https://arizonabusinesslawyeraz.com/when-to-litigate-and-when-to-settle/ https://arizonabusinesslawyeraz.com/when-to-litigate-and-whe... Settlements are also a known fixed cost controlled by the business instead of a jury. Considering how Republicans are attacking Harvard I would say the desire to get this out the public spotlight as fast as possible is important