GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A March 2020 trial date has been set in a student’s lawsuit against Lawrence University, claiming the school was deliberately indifferent in regards to a male student who sexually assaulted her.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed the suit in federal court, alleging her Title IX rights were violated. The university has denied any wrongdoing.
The student’s attorney told the court Friday that the damages portion of a trial would focus on “emotional distress,” court records show. The parties were also ordered to go to mediation in an effort to resolve the suit before trial.
Doe says after an Oct. 28, 2017, party she returned to the dorm room of a male student. She was “intoxicated to the point where she was barely conscious,” and then the male sexually assaulted her, according to the 11-page complaint.
Several months later, the suit claims Lawrence University officials met with the girl and her parents and told them the school was aware of at least three prior reports “from women who had been harassed or assaulted” by the male – but that no formal complaints had made by the other victims.
In April, Lawrence expelled the man “because he had engaged in a pattern of predatory sexual assaults in violation of Lawrence’s Sexual Misconduct Policy and Title IX,” the lawsuit asserts.
The suit, filed in July, claims the school took no action before Doe was assaulted, despite the prior complaints, violating her rights under Title IX.
In its 20-page response, Lawrence denies it had any complaints against the male student before Oct. 28. The school also denies an official told the parents there were previous complaints against the male student.
“Defendant cannot be found to have violated Title IX because at all times relevant to the Complaint it had policies designed to prevent and correct sex-based harassment and assault. Upon notice of the assaults alleged in the Complaint, Defendant took prompt and effective action to respond to Plaintiff’s report,” Lawrence’s response states.
