Dive Brief:
- As higher ed institutions face more pressure to improve their responses to alleged sexual assaults on campus, pushback from the accused in those cases is also on the rise.
- Students who have been suspended or expelled after their schools found them responsible for sexual assault have filed lawsuits against Vassar College, University of Michigan, Duke University, Occidental College, Columbia University, Xavier University, Swarthmore College, Delaware State University, and “a host” of others, the Los Angeles Times reports.
- Most of the plaintiffs argue the college hearing process is unfair, and some are arguing that their gender rights have been violated under Title IX, which bans discrimination based on sex at any school receiving federal aid.
Dive Insight:
These cases are yet another reason why schools need to make sure they have solid policies, procedures, and staff training in place for handling sexual assault cases. The Title IX discrimination by men would be difficult to prove, the Times quotes an expert source as saying, in part because they would have to show that women accused of sexual assault received more lenient treatment — and such cases are rare. The attorney representing men suing Vassar and Drew University says he fields three or four calls a week from those interested in filing similar lawsuits.
