Attorneys for the woman suing Michigan State University over the school’s response to an alleged sexual assault involving three former basketball players in 2015 sharply criticized the school on Thursday.
“Our client did not report what happened in the first place because she was afraid of the retaliation if she went forward,” attorneys Karen Truskowski and Julie Jacot said in a statement Thursday. “Her fears proved true when she read the university’s statement in response to her complaint. Instead of responding to her allegations appropriately, they chose to victimize her all over again in the media.”
The woman says she was sexually assaulted at an off-campus apartment. Her suit alleges that after she told university counseling center staff that basketball players were involved, the staff made it clear to her that if she reported it to police “she faced an uphill battle that would create anxiety and unwanted media attention.”
The school released a statement Wednesday saying the woman was treated appropriately by staff at the counseling center, and the school said it found no evidence that she was discouraged from making a Title IX complaint or a complaint to police.
“We have documentation that supports her story,” the woman’s attorneys said. “We will present it in an appropriate forum at an appropriate time. Not in the media.”
A message seeking comment was left with a Michigan State spokeswoman.
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