He said it was consensual. She said she blacked out. U-Va. had to decide: Was it assault?
When Haley Lind was found alone in a stranger’s bathroom, she was naked and in a drunken stupor, barely able to stand or speak, a raucous party raging around her. She awoke in her bed hours later, her head pounding, leaves in her hair, soaked in her own urine.
“I think I got assaulted last night,” she texted a friend the morning after the annual welcome-back-to-school Block Party at the University of Virginia. “Something just feels very wrong.”
The Washington Post reconstructed the events of the night Lind says she was sexually assaulted at U-Va. — and the turmoil that followed — through a review of internal school records, witness statements and legal documents, as well as in numerous interviews, including with Lind, the freshman athlete she accused and their attorneys.
Federal Court Stifles the Campus SaVE Act
In an important court ruling last week, a federal judge in D.C. ruled that the Campus SaVE Act can have “no effect” on Title IX.
This was a critically important victory and an important first step on the way to ensuring that no sexual assault victim on any campus is subjected to second-class justice when she seeks redress in the aftermath of sex-based violence (sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.)
Victory! Court Rules The Campus SAvE Act Has No Effect On Title IX
Earlier today, in two long-awaited companion court rulings, a federal judge in the District of Columbia ruled that Title IX’s civil rights standards for addressing sexual assault on campus were not weakened by the 2013 Campus SaVE Act.
With this decision, colleges and universities—many of which are already under investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights—cannot rely on Congress’ language in the Campus SaVE Act to deviate from Title IX’s longstanding requirement that schools apply “prompt and equitable” policies and procedures to ensure the effective redress of violence against women. “Equitable” means that gender–based violence must be treated exactly the same as violence based on any other protected category such as race and national origin.
With this decision, colleges and universities—many of which are already under investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights—cannot rely on Congress’ language in the Campus SaVE Act to deviate from Title IX’s longstanding requirement that schools apply “prompt and equitable” policies and procedures to ensure the effective redress of violence against women. “Equitable” means that gender–based violence must be treated exactly the same as violence based on any other protected category such as race and national origin.
An Open Letter To Harvard Law Professor Nancy Gertner
I’ve read your recent articles about campus sexual assault. I appreciate and respect your position as an advocate for accused sex offenders, but please stop using your gender and your status as a feminist to persuade others that you are also an advocate for women’s safety and equality. Indeed, contrary to your claim that you have fought hard to improve the law for rape victims, you have, in my opinion, worked hard to make things worse.
Men Accused Of Racist Violence Have Rights Too
Last August, Columbia University released a new anti-racism policy and many academics are “horrified,” claiming the policy reveals a “cavalier disregard” for the rights of accused students. Remarked one, “I will never send my white son to Columbia.”
- Campus Sexual Assault
- Crime Victims
- Sex Abuse of Students
- Sex Offenders
- Title IX
- University of Virginia UVA
Rape On Campus: University Of Virginia Rape And Its Aftermath
The Marsh Law Firm represents Stacy who is profiled in this article in Rolling Stone. Our case was one of only fourteen in UVA history where the perpetrator was found guilty. Stacy's perpetrator was suspended. It's unlikely that many of the other thirteen guilty perpetrators were even suspended. None of the fourteen guilty perpetrators were expelled. The assistance and advice of an attorney is essential for victims to ensure the integrity and fairness of the system, the thoroughness and appropriateness of the questions asked, and the pros and cons of the myriad of choices for achieving some measure of justice. Please contact us if you were raped or sexually assaulted on campus. Our lawyers are experienced with the civil, criminal, and disciplinary options facing victims and survivors.
It’s Not Just Colleges – Elementary And Secondary Schools Under Investigation For Title IX Violations
Here is a chart of 24 elementary and secondary schools that have pending Title IX sexual violence investigations as of November 12, 2014, including the dates the specific investigations were initiated.
Department Of Education’s Office For Civil Rights Rules Against Princeton
Title IX was enacted as a “civil rights” law for the purpose of guaranteeing women full equality in education, as well as protection from discrimination (including sexual assault), on par with the same rights that had already been accorded other protected class categories such as race and national origin. Despite this simple reality, Title IX was widely propagandized and misunderstood in society for decades as a “sports equity” rule for women.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently announced that Princeton University had significantly failed to comply with women’s rights under Title IX with regard to its sexual assault policies. OCR’s analysis centered around whether Princeton complied with key components of “promptness and equity,” including the following
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently announced that Princeton University had significantly failed to comply with women’s rights under Title IX with regard to its sexual assault policies. OCR’s analysis centered around whether Princeton complied with key components of “promptness and equity,” including the following
What To Do If You Are Sexually Assaulted Or Raped
Know the facts: you are at greater risk of sexual assault and rape at college than anywhere else including the military. One in four to one in five women are victimized by rape or attempted rape during college. That's over 300,000 women in the class of 2018. These women will be your roommates, friends, sorority sisters, and classmates. Look around and consider that one of the five girls in your suite, at your dining hall table, or in your study group has or will be a victim of rape and sexual assault, most likely during the first semester of your freshmen year.
Campus Predators: Who Are They?
In order to protect yourself from predatory rapists, it helps to understand the motivations, behaviors, attitudes, and modus operandi of these serial offenders. The term "date rape" has served to obscure one of the unpleasant facts about sexual violence in the college environment: that just as in the larger community, the majority of this violence is committed by predatory individuals who tend to be serial and multi-faceted offenders. Research has discovered that each campus rapist averages between seven and eleven victims. Clearly a small number of perpetrators can result in a huge number of victims; just 40 rapists can sexually assault and rape upwards of 400 women.
- Older Posts
- No More Posts