The survivor of an alleged sexual assault by three University of Oregon basketball players filed a lawsuit against the school and head coach Dana Altman, first reported by The Register-Guard.
The suit filed Thursday with the US District Court in Eugene claims that the survivor’s federal civil rights were violated when the UO recruited Brandon Austin, one of her alleged assailants, to the basketball team. Austin was previously accused of sexual assault at Providence College in Rhode Island.
The lawsuit claims that the university prioritized winning basketball games over any threat posed by the perpetrator of an alleged sexual assault.
The survivor said in her lawsuit that she was “subjected to extreme sexual harassment in the form of rape by Austin and his accomplices,” Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis. On April 14, the Lane County District Attorney declined to charge the players of rape, citing lack of evidence. However, a June investigation by the UO found the players responsible for sexual misconduct and suspended them from campus for at least four years.
Scott Coltrane, the interim president of the UO, addressed the survivors lawsuit today in an e-mail from the president’s office: “The university disagrees with the allegations against it and believes that it acted in accordance with the law, including Title IX.”
Coltrane also said, “While unfortunate, this filing is not unanticipated.”
Austin transferred to Oregon midway through his freshman basketball season at Providence after he was suspended in December for violating the student conduct code and not upholding responsibilities as a student athlete with relation to the sexual assault charges.
The survivor also claims that the university delayed the suspension of the players until after the Pac- 12 Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. Altman earned a $50,000 bonus because of Oregon’s role of the tournament.
The suit does not specify a dollar amount. The survivor is asking for a reimbursement of tuition and tuition-related expenses, reimbursement of all costs relating to the sexual assault, and damages for “deprivation of equal access to the educational benefits and opportunities provided by UO,” emotional pain and “severe mental anguish.”
The survivor is also asking the UO to address its sexual assault policy.
John Clune, one of the attorneys representing the survivor of the alleged sexual assault said: “This is a very important case and we are looking forward to showing how this sort of thing can happen at an otherwise very good university. It is time, though, for athletic departments and coaches to stop trading the safety of women on campus for points on a scoreboard.”
Clune said that they filed the lawsuit as soon as the university investigation into the incident, which found the players guilty of assault and removed them from campus for up to 10 years, was complete.
Jennifer Middleton, the survivor’s second representative echoed Clune’s sentiments.
“This is a very important case and it needs to be litigated,” she said.
Dahlia Bazzaz contributed to this report.
Follow Alex Cremer on Twitter: @Alex_Cremer92
