For the second time, a federal court judge has decided to dismiss lawsuits filed by former UO basketball players Brandon Austin, Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson, court records show. Austin’s lawsuit sought $7.5 million while Artis and Dotson had sued together in a separate case and sought $21 million. The case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Michael McShane.
The lawsuits claim that the school kicking them out after a report that they were involved in an off- campus sexual assault case that occurred in 2014 violated their rights to due process. A female student claimed that the three players had raped her in March of 2014 at a house party. As a result, the players were banned for up to a decade from campus. The players claimed that she had consented to the sexual encounter with all of them.
“This has been a long and complicated road, but we could not be more satisfied with the outcome,” UO Vice President and General Counsel Kevin Reed said Wednesday in a statement to The Oregonian. “While we were confident from the beginning that our processes and protocols were followed properly and complied with our legal obligations and our duty of fairness, this brings to a close any legitimate speculation to the contrary. We are glad to have this situation in our rear view mirror and that we can now confirm that the university’s professionals conducted themselves in compliance with the law.”
While the decision is open for appeal, the lawsuits may not be filed again.
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