Campus Misconduct. Not Responsible.
Almost a year ago, a local college student falsely reported that several years earlier her college pal sexually assaulted her. She couldn’t identify the date or time or even the location of the alleged event but she was sure that he assaulted her and she remembered who was present to witness it. Before making her complaint, she reached out to all of her so-called witnesses. When interviewed, each one of those former friends told the investigator that they did not witness any of what the complaining student alleged happened. We uncovered social media and other evidence that contradicted her claims.
While the investigation slowly progressed, the college refused to allow our student client to graduate. It handed him an empty envelope at commencement. Despite holding together an almost perfect GPA as he fought off the sort of ambush no young man is prepared to defend and despite his presumption of innocence, one well-coordinated attack based on a false allegation derailed years of hard work and sacrifice. These outrageous scenarios are playing out on college campuses with greater frequency and fierceness than ever. We turned the case inside out, challenged every piece of so-called evidence, produced our own evidence, and finally explained to a hearing panel why it should reject the accusation.
The result – Not guilty.
If you have a college student in your life, discuss with him or her the facts of this new era. Even if your student doesn’t want to hear it, say it out loud anyway. If you find yourself in one of these situations, please call me. I have successfully advocated for dozens of college students. I can help you, too.
