Princeton University has been sued by an ex-Ph.D. student for emotional distress. The hearing in 2011 on the alleged rape she suffered turned into victim blaming. There was no supporting evidence, and she dropped her case.
According to the student, she was sexually assaulted by her classmate in December 2010. A 2019 law that Gov. Phil Murphy eliminated the two-year statute of limitations for rape claims and made it permanent.
The Nobel Prize-winning professor representing her accuser, she claims, asked her about her sexual past and press her to explain why she had baked brownies as a gift for him.
‘I don’t mean to get too personal… (tell us) how many boyfriends you’ve had?’ According to reports, the professor requested her.
NJ.com reports that the plaintiff, accused student, and professor were not identified in the suit.
Princeton claims that the matter was dealt with ‘in compliance with university disciplinary procedures of the time’, although these have changed since a 2014 deal with the Department of Education.
Unnamed students sued Princeton University after an investigation into their alleged 2011 rape turned into victim blaming.
The student says the alleged rape left her with severe bruises on her neck and thighs.
The incident was reported through an online form at Princeton. She also met with an associate dean from the graduate school twice.
According to her, she submitted a longer written report in January 2011 – one month after the incident.
A student was assaulted on campus and went to the campus medical center. However, he was wrongly informed that he didn’t need a “rape kit” – which is a forensic examination used to collect evidence of sexual assault. The suit states that it could not be used at a hearing.
According to her, campus medical staff didn’t report the injuries she sustained.
The lawsuit claimed that Princeton’s investigation was conducted by unqualified, untrained and inexperienced investigators.
Although she was not allowed to include faculty members in her case. Her alleged assailant, however, was represented by the Nobel-winning professor.
However, she was represented in the suit by a student.
‘I just don’t see, I’m still a little lost to see why you could not interpret relationships in the way that you claim very early on. I don’t know why you didn’t see the signs,’ the professor allegedly asked her.
According to the victim, she was informed that there were no appeals.
According to the suit, she had no option but to leave graduate school and was not punished by the university.
NJ.com claims that Princeton failed to set up rules for hearings free from victim blaming and discrimination.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for emotional distress, psychological injuries/trauma, humiliation, and anguish.
She claimed that she had to abandon her PhD program because her accuser (who was also part of the small graduate program) was not disciplined.
2019 New Jersey Governor. Phil Murphy was the 2019 Governor of New Jersey. He signed a law that allows adults to sue people or institutions until they reach 55 years old or seven year after they make “the discovery” linking their trauma to an abuse event.
The bill was passed with opposition from the Catholic Church after a Pennsylvania grand jury identified 300 clergy members credibly accused of sexual assault, including four who lived or worked in New Jersey, according to NJ.com.
Princeton claims it will review the suit by an unnamed student.
According to the complaint, this matter has been handled according to the applicable university disciplinary processes.
“Beyond those, we will need to review and digest all the allegations in this complaint, which don’t identify any individuals and refer to conduct that took place a decade ago,” stated Michael Hotchkiss.
The Ivy League school has changed the way it deals with sexual harassment and assault complaints after a 2014 agreement with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Princeton released a press release stating that the university has changed its policy and will now use a preponderance standard for investigating allegations of sexual misconduct.
It agreed to provide appeal rights to both parties, handle cases promptly, and ‘provide appropriate interim measures to preserve a complainant’s educational experience, promote safety for all, and deter retaliation.’
Additionally, the university said that all complaints from 2011 would be reexamined.
The institution received 26 reports of rape, 27 reports of fondling and seven reports of dating violence on campus between 2018 and 2020, according to a report released this year.
Princeton wants to transfer the case of the unnamed student from Superior Court, Mercer County to Federal Court because the student is now living in New York. NJ.com reports.