LAWSUIT: MALE CLEARED of Title IX Accusation Sues Maine’s University System For Not Protecting Him
A male student at the University of Maine at Farmington who was accused of sexual misconduct by a couple of female students is suing the university system, saying he was also the victim of sexual assault and that the school discriminated against him because of his gender. The lawsuit claims “gender inequities in the university’s implementation of Title IX and the creation of a hostile environment,” and also says the student was denied due process when he was suspended without a hearing in response to a new allegation that surfaced after he had been cleared by the university in an earlier case.
The suit says that in fall 2017, “John Doe” was dating a female student who reported to Farmington police that he sexually assaulted her. Police did not prosecute after determining the woman had falsely accused the male student because of guilt over having another boyfriend. Initially, the university’s Title IX investigator cleared the male student of sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations. When the woman appealed the finding, it went to a Student Conduct Code Committee, which reversed the investigator’s decision, and the male student was suspended. His lawsuit claims the committee, comprised of four women and one man, was biased against him.
Universities across the country are grappling with how to balance the rights of accusers in campus sexual assault cases with due process for the accused. In the last three months, class action lawsuits by accused students in California and Michigan are forcing officials in those states to reconsider the rights of students charged with misconduct.
pressherald-Rachel Ohm
