WLAX player sues NU over sexual assault
- Thread starter Alvious
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I’m unable to read the entire article. Did the alleged assault happen prior to the student-athlete attending NU? Was the accused an athlete as well? Not following exactly.
EVANSTON, Ill. - The latest lawsuit against Northwestern University has nothing to do with football or hazing. It comes from a student who's a former member of the women's lacrosse team.
In the suit, the woman – identified as Jane Doe – says a current member of the Northwestern baseball team raped her in July 2022, and when she reported it, the university failed to take meaningful action.
The lawsuit accuses the University and its Board of Trustees of negligence and violating Title IX.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court Wednesday, accuses Northwestern of admitting the player despite receiving and reading emails from six individuals who appear to be former classmates of his, warning them of his previous behavior. The emails all describe instances of sexual abuse, including one alleged interchange between former faculty and the player's mother.
The suit says Northwestern failed to protect Jane Doe after she reported the alleged rape to the athletic director in January. According to the lawsuit, one former classmate's email said, "[He] has a horrible and long record of sexually harassing and sexually abusing girls...I am sorry to say that if you let him onto campus or the field, many more lives can be fatally affected."
Responding in a statement, a Northwestern spokesperson said, "After receiving Jane Doe’s email in January 2023, an Athletics official reported her allegations to Northwestern University’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (OCR). On the same day, OCR contacted Jane Doe and provided information about resources, supportive measures and resolution options. Jane Doe’s allegations are currently under investigation by OCR, and OCR remains in contact with her."
The man accused of raping the plaintiff is mentioned by named throughout this lawsuit, but he is not named as a defendant. He is still enrolled here and is an active member of the baseball team.
In the suit, the woman – identified as Jane Doe – says a current member of the Northwestern baseball team raped her in July 2022, and when she reported it, the university failed to take meaningful action.
The lawsuit accuses the University and its Board of Trustees of negligence and violating Title IX.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court Wednesday, accuses Northwestern of admitting the player despite receiving and reading emails from six individuals who appear to be former classmates of his, warning them of his previous behavior. The emails all describe instances of sexual abuse, including one alleged interchange between former faculty and the player's mother.
The suit says Northwestern failed to protect Jane Doe after she reported the alleged rape to the athletic director in January. According to the lawsuit, one former classmate's email said, "[He] has a horrible and long record of sexually harassing and sexually abusing girls...I am sorry to say that if you let him onto campus or the field, many more lives can be fatally affected."
Responding in a statement, a Northwestern spokesperson said, "After receiving Jane Doe’s email in January 2023, an Athletics official reported her allegations to Northwestern University’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (OCR). On the same day, OCR contacted Jane Doe and provided information about resources, supportive measures and resolution options. Jane Doe’s allegations are currently under investigation by OCR, and OCR remains in contact with her."
The man accused of raping the plaintiff is mentioned by named throughout this lawsuit, but he is not named as a defendant. He is still enrolled here and is an active member of the baseball team.
A two week suspension sounds appropriate.
In the middle of the summer, no one will notice.
Gragg hasn’t caught up to all his paperwork that he fell behind while on his European vacations.
It is hard to be as obviously bad at your job as he’s proven to be. Geeeez.
I wish this did not make me laugh as much as it did.
Man is just a hands off type of leader. This is all intentional.
Good grief. This is horrific. Was this a Foster recruit? He’s still on campus? Still on the team?? How can this be possible? How the hell is Gragg still employed? This guy wasn’t asleep at the wheel; more like dead at the wheel. Incomprehensible.
Reportedly, the university is still conducting an ongoing investigation into this. I'm not sure I actually want Gragg inserting himself before the investigation is concluded.
Ongoing investigation? It was first reported in January. Fitz was fired in 48 hours! WTF.
There was a months-long investigation into hazing that preceded Fitz's firing.
The investigation is in the office of civil rights, as required by Title IX. Jane Doe must think they are moving too slowly or not at all. In these matters the accused has rights as well, I'm not sure you can suspend him before the OCR completes it's work. It does seem like it's taking a very long time.
I'm not sure Gragg can be blamed for this, yet.
I'm not sure Gragg can be blamed for this, yet.
Fair point. Player not being suspended seems a bit odd though, no? Were criminal charges filed?
Per the complaint quoted in the Trib, Shapiro was warned about the baseball recruit:
According to the new suit by Jane Doe, in 2020, at least seven current or former classmates of the baseball player warned Northwestern (including then-President Morton Schapiro, then-head baseball coach Spencer Allen and other officials) that he had a documented history as a serial sexual abuser of female classmates in middle and high school, and could harm women at the college.
According to the new suit by Jane Doe, in 2020, at least seven current or former classmates of the baseball player warned Northwestern (including then-President Morton Schapiro, then-head baseball coach Spencer Allen and other officials) that he had a documented history as a serial sexual abuser of female classmates in middle and high school, and could harm women at the college.
And to think Fitz couldn’t get a kid admitted that missed an SAT score by 20 points. 🤦♂️
She claims to have filed the Title IX complaint herself. Northwestern isn't investigating anything.
"After receiving Jane Doe’s email in January 2023, an Athletics official reported her allegations to Northwestern University’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (OCR). On the same day, OCR contacted Jane Doe and provided information about resources, supportive measures and resolution options. Jane Doe’s allegations are currently under investigation by OCR, and OCR remains in contact with her."
My wife has some experience with things like this at another school, not with athletes. She says these things usually take multiple years to resolve, both sides end up angry or upset, suspensions are not a thing. So it seems NU is pretty much in line with my wife's experience. She says mandatory training is sometimes/often the only consequence.
I didn't like hearing this from her at all. Our culture is stacked against victims.
It gets back to how much due process the accused is entitled to in these situations. That was the debate when Betsy DeVos was Secretary of Education. The pendulum (perhaps) had swung too far in one direction, but did it swing back too far the other way in reaction? That's a debate that Cappy probably won't allow here, but I'll just say that, at a minimum, I would hope that the alleged behavior is at least stopped when one of these investigations is initiated.
In another article it said she filed the claim herself without any help from the University. Someone is lying.
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