Michigan State University is being sued by a former student for conducting a “flawed” and “gender biased” investigation into a sexual assault complaint, according to WLNS TV.
The lawsuit filed last month in a federal court alleges the University of not following a due process into his case by handing him over a two-year suspension.
The plaintiff, who wished to stay anonymous, is accused of raping a freshman following a fraternity party in February 2018. He has been claiming that the sex was consensual but the victim was uncomfortable for days and choose to file a complaint with the university’s Office of Institutional Equity.
“One of the lead investigators has a background as a sex crime prosecutor and he approached the case from a prosecutorial stance rather than as a neutral fact-finder,” attorney for the man told WILX 10. “Investigators did not give the man adequate notice and details about the case, indicating the investigation was tainted by the outset by gender bias and a presumption of his guilt.”
The plaintiff has alleged the University of taking a harsh stance on him as it was being investigated for its role over handling Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse cases.
Meanwhile, the university has not issued any statements over the latest lawsuit.
Last year, the university agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying $500 million to 332 victims of sexual abuse by Nassar, who was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison after he was found guilty of three child pornography charges and 10 sexual assault charges. He is serving his sentence at the United States Penitentiary in Tuscon, Arizona.
In the wake of revelations made by survivors about university physician, it also launched a campaign to grow awareness within its community members affected by sexual violence and misconduct about the resources available to them.
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