LAWSUIT: PRINCETON Male Complains of Harassment From Ex-GFriend. Princeton Waits & Investigates Male When Ex Complains
Following closely on the heels of its Ivy League peer in Cambridge, Princeton University has finally been sued for violating an accused student’s due process rights in a Title IX proceeding. That means the entire Ivy League has now been hit with litigation stemming from the Obama administration’s Title IX guidance, rescinded a year ago by the Trump administration. Like the Harvard lawsuit, which focused on racial discrimination, the Princeton complaint alleges “John Doe” was treated differently because of his immutable traits – in this case, because of his sex. He had actually told Princeton in January that “Jane Roe” was harassing him after a consensual sexual encounter several months earlier. But the school waited until November – 18 months after their encounter – to tell him that Roe had also complained and that he was under investigation. The filing does not specify more about the encounter between Doe and Roe, focusing instead on Princeton’s Title IX procedures, which were modified under threat from the Obama administration. The Obama administration forced Princeton to lower the evidence standard to “preponderance” – better known as “more likely than not” – and hire an administrator in 2014, three years after its Title IX guidance was released.The school has refused to grant a “brief continuance” in Doe’s proceeding in violation of its own contract, which allows investigations to extend beyond 60 days when investigators have “good cause” or “other legitimate reasons.” The university has nothing to lose by pausing the proceeding, while Doe has everything to lose – “reputational and educational injuries for conduct that he unequivocally denies” – if Princeton rushes forward to beat the changed regulatory landscape. He’ll suffer irreparable harm that monetary penalties on Princeton can’t fix.
thecollegefix By Greg Piper
