Baylor University sexual harassment overview:
- Who: A Texas federal jury awarded $270,000 to a former student who sued Baylor University for allegedly ignoring her reports of sexual harassment.
- Why: The jury found that the plaintiff proved that Baylor had a policy of “deliberate indifference” to reports of sexual harassment that posed a risk of injury to her.
- Where: The Baylor University sexual harassment lawsuit was filed in Texas federal court.
A federal jury in Texas has ordered Baylor University to pay $270,000 after determining it violated Title IX due to its “policy of deliberate indifference to reports of sexual harassment” and its alleged negligence in addressing a student’s reports of domestic violence against a football player, Law360 reports.
Plaintiff Dolores Lozano, a former Baylor student, sued Baylor University in 2016 after she was allegedly violently assaulted by a Baylor football player on three occasions in 2014. Her 2018 complaint said Baylor was “not a safe space for young women” and failed to provide the support to alleged victims as required by state and federal law.
“Baylor’s failure to promptly and appropriately investigate and respond to these assaults fostered a culture and created a condition that substantially increased Lozano’s chances of being assaulted along with the numerous other young women who were victimized by Baylor football players,” the Baylor University sexual harassment lawsuit says.
Baylor University sexual harassment investigation led to multiple lawsuits
In May 2016, Pepper Hamilton LLP revealed that an investigation found Baylor University had a “fundamental failure” in implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Several Baylor sexual harassment lawsuits were filed in response.
On Oct. 24, a jury in Waco, Texas, determined Lozano showed that Baylor University “maintained a policy of deliberate indifference to reports of sexual harassment that created a heightened risk that [she] would be injured and thereby caused injuries” to her.
The jury awarded Lozano $40,000 for past physical pain and mental anguish, $190,000 for future pain and anguish and $40,000 for any future health care expenses she could reasonably be faced with in the future.
The jury did not award Lozano damages under Title IX, which would have included the loss of educational opportunities at Baylor.
In 2020, Baylor University was hit with a class action lawsuit from students seeking refunds for part of their tuition and fees after the university closed its doors and transitioned to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What do you think about the Baylor University sexual harassment lawsuit verdict? Join the discussion in the comments.
Lozano is represented by Sheila P. Haddock and Irwin M. Zalkin of the Zalkin Law Firm PC and by Zeke O. Fortenberry of Fortenberry Firm PLLC.
The Baylor sexual harassment lawsuit is Dolores Lozano v. Baylor University, Case No. 6:16-cv-00403, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division.
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