Louisiana State University (LSU) allegedly failed to properly investigate complaints of sexual assault and harassment committed by its student-athletes, according to a class action lawsuit filed Monday.
The class action, filed on behalf of current and former LSU students, comes after a USA Today investigation revealed that reports of sexual assault committed by athletes were improperly handled and a $50 million lawsuit filed by the LSU athletics director earlier this month. One of the lead plaintiffs told reporters that the class action is a last resort after LSU officials allegedly continued to ignore complaints about their handling of reports.
“LSU isn’t listening to what the public wants, so we have to find a new way to make them listen. Hopefully, they’ll take us seriously now and start caring about the safety and well-being of their students,” one of the plaintiffs told USA Today of the class action filed in Louisiana federal court Monday.
Six named plaintiffs, along with other unidentified individuals, claim that LSU school officials ignored and covered up reports of sexual assault and harassment perpetrated by members of its “venerated college football program.”
“This has created a campus culture which ignores and even tacitly allows trauma to be inflicted upon women and LGBTQ+ identifying individuals and a prioritization of sports and money over academics and student well-being,” states the class action lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses of the school of prioritizing the football team’s success over its Title IX obligations to the student body as a whole. Allegedly, claims that LSU football players sexually assaulted other students were kept within the Athletic Department in a scheme to insulate coaches and players from repercussions.
“This scheme allowed the University as a whole, as well as [the Tiger Athletic Foundation], to reap the rewards of the football program’s incredible success – including, but not limited to, a national championship, unprecedented increases in revenue, increases in merchandise and ticket sales, increases in TV contracts, increases in admission applications, and increases in alumni donations, among others,” states the complaint.
The plaintiffs are seeking to represent current and former LSU students who were subjected to sex-based discrimination, including stalking, sexual assault harassment, and rape by male LSU students since 2013.
The class action lawsuit accuses LSU school officials of neglecting their Title IX obligations by ignoring and even suppressing reports of sexual assault and harassment perpetrated by student-athletes. The lawsuit says that the school fails to appropriately train staff on Title IX.
“The majority of the Plaintiffs were unable to ever make their reports to the Office of the Title IX Coordinator…because LSU employees discouraged or even overtly prevented them from doing so,” states the complaint. “The few Plaintiffs who were able to attempt to file complaints with the Title IX Office were ignored and their complaints were not appropriately investigated or addressed. Some Plaintiffs experienced unlawful retaliation after attempting to report sex-based Discrimination.”
The plaintiffs, including former LSU student-athletes themselves, say that they were forced to leave the school because of the mishandling of their reports, missing out on valuable educational, career, and athletic opportunities.
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The lead plaintiffs are represented by Catherine E. Lasky, Matthew B. Peters, Endya L. Hashof Katie Lasky Law LLC, and Karen Truszkowski of the Temperance Legal Group, PLLC.
The LSU Sexual Assault Reporting Class Action Lawsuit is A. O., et al. v. Louisiana State University, et al., Case No. 3:21-cv-00242-SDD-EWD in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana.
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