JOHN DOE Sues Stony Brook University for Sex Discrimination & Denied Due Process
A male student at Stony Brook University is suing the school and two SUNY employees for gender discrimination and for violating his due process rights. The plaintiff, “John Doe,” claims that due to several missteps in the Title IX process, he was unjustly found responsible for sexual misconduct despite the fact that he himself was a victim. The plaintiff also claims that “BG” (the female accuser as named in the suit) was given preferential treatment by Title IX officials on the basis of gender. For instance, the suit states that officials turned a blind eye when BG violated certain procedural rules. According to the suit, John Doe states that shortly after BG filed her complaint, she posted his name and photo to social media with a caption describing him as her rapist and inciting her followers to “beat [Plaintiff] up.” The suit also states that some of the evidence submitted by BG appeared to either be fabricated, coerced or unverifiable. Ultimately, the university’s Title IX office did not find BG guilty of any misconduct. The plaintiff, on the other hand, was found responsible for violating the Student Code of Responsibility. He was suspended from the university, placed on disciplinary probation, stripped of his scholarship and had his transcript permanently marked to show that he committed a sexual misconduct violation, according to the suit.
“The Review Panel’s determination that Plaintiff was ‘Responsible’ for sexual misconduct is not supported by any credible evidence much less a preponderance of the evidence as the Review Panel’s Disposition and Hearing transcript plainly demonstrate.” The plaintiff is seeking damages as well as injunctive relief which would restore his scholarship and clear any wrongdoing from his transcript.
sbstatesman.com By Rebecca Liebson
