Federal probe of Florida State University stems from alleged Winston rape victim

The US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is looking into whether or not Florida State University violated Title IX in the school's response to sexual violence complaints.

|
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports/REUTERS
Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) throws against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of the 2014 BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 6, 2014.

Florida State University is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possible Title IX violations in its response to sexual violence complaints.

USA Today first reported the investigation by the Office for Civil Rights. It stems from a complaint filed with it by the accuser in quarterback Jameis Winston's sexual assault case.

No charges were filed by State Attorney Willie Meggs against the Heisman trophy winner.

"Our client is particularly gratified by the OCR's decision to investigate and look for discrimination and find remedies to it," the accuser's lawyer Baine Kerr said, "because her primary goal, from the beginning, has been affecting change that will make women at Florida State safer on campus."

Winston was accused of sexual assault from an incident in Dec. 2012. Police decided not to press charges in Dec. 2013. The OCR will investigate all sexual assault complaints at the university during the last three years.

The accuser received a letter from the university in February stating that it met with Winston on Jan. 23 to investigate possible Code of Conduct violations. Winston led the Seminoles to the national championship on Jan. 6.

"We can confirm that we have been notified of the OCR investigation; however, due to federal and state privacy laws the university cannot comment," university spokesman Browning Brooks said in a statement.

The OCR tells schools that "Conduct may constitute unlawful sexual harassment under Title IX even if the police do not have sufficient evidence of a criminal violation. In addition, a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual violence does not relieve the school of its duty under Title IX to resolve complaints promptly and equitably."

It is unclear if the accuser will pursue a civil case against Winston or the university. Her family accused the Tallahassee Police Department of delaying the investigation and discouraging her from going forward with the case because of the public attention it would receive. Tallahassee police have defended their handling of the case.

A civil case can still be filed after the OCR investigation.

The woman told police she had been drinking at a bar with friends and went home with a man she didn't know. She said the alleged assault took place at an off-campus apartment, but she couldn't remember where it was.

A month later, she identified her alleged attacker as the quarterback. Winston's attorney Tim Jansen said the sex was consensual.

Kerr confirmed a Deadspin.com report that football players Chris Casher and Ronald Darby were recently charged with violations of the school's Code of Conduct. Both Casher and Darby told police they witnessed the sex between the Winston and the accuser. Casher told police that he attempted to join, but was told to leave by the accuser.

Punishments under the code include expulsion from the school. Darby is a starting cornerback on the team.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Federal probe of Florida State University stems from alleged Winston rape victim
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0404/Federal-probe-of-Florida-State-University-stems-from-alleged-Winston-rape-victim
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe