The woman who accused three University of Oregon basketball players of raping her has sued the college and its head basketball coach, Dana Altman, The Register-Guard reports.
The student, identified as Jane Doe in the complaint, alleges that the college and the coach made winning games a higher priority than investigating her claim that she was assaulted by the three players, who have since left the university.
The lawsuit also argues that the college should have known of the threat posed by one of the players, who was recruited from Providence College after he was found by that institution to have violated the code of conduct relating to an incident of sexual assault.
The suit seeks damages and the creation of a comprehensive policy at the university to handle sexual assault that complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, among other things.
In a written statement, the university’s interim president, Scott Coltrane, said Oregon “disagrees with the allegations against it and believes that it acted in accordance with the law.” He added: “The university would prefer not to be in litigation with any students. We have been as respectful and supportive as possible of the student, including immediately implementing support services and appropriately honoring her choice of process, once hearing of her experience.”
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Eugene, Ore. It comes one day after the woman who accused Florida State University’s star quarterback of sexually assaulting her filed a similar suit.
