Donald Trump has settled three Trump University lawsuits for $25m (£20m), the New York Attorney General has said.
The US president-elect was being sued by former students who paid $35,000 (£28,000) for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors.
Trump had repeatedly said he would not settle the class-action lawsuits.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the settlement was a “stunning reversal” by Trump and a “major victory” for victims.
But Trump’s lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said his client was pleased with the outcome, saying “he was willing to sacrifice his personal interests, put this behind him, and move forward”.
The businessman faced three fraud lawsuits – which alleged the school misled students and failed to deliver on its promises – in California and New York.
A trial in one of the cases had been due to begin in San Diego on 28 November, although Trump’s lawyers had attempted to delay the case.
Donald Trump’s ongoing lawsuits
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement: “Today’s $25 million settlement agreement is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university.
“The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result and I am pleased that their patience – and persistence – will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.”
Schneiderman, who Trump has attacked as a “lightweight”, had sought a $40m payout from Mr Trump over the university, which closed in 2010.
He called Trump University a “fraud from beginning to end” in July, adding that the organisation used “false promises to prey on desperate people”.
US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over the two California cases, had been urging both sides to settle out of court.
