PROVIDENCE, R.I. — U.S. colleges trying to respond decisively to complaints of sexual assault are getting slammed with lawsuits from men who say they’ve been unfairly suspended or otherwise punished.
At least 75 men have sued their schools since 2013, complaining largely of reverse discrimination and unfair disciplinary proceedings.
Most of the men were never charged with a crime because the accuser didn’t go to police or authorities decided there wasn’t enough evidence.
Schools say they feel caught in the middle.
On one side is the U.S. Education Department, which is demanding colleges deal firmly with reports of sexual assault. On the other side are students who say they are not getting a fair shake.
Jack Montague’s lawyer Max Stern, of the firm Todd & Weld in Boston, said the decision to expel Jack Montague was “wrong, unfairly determined, arbitrary, and excessive by any rational measure.”
In a statement, Stern said Montague had a consensual sexual relationship with another student in 2014. A year later, in the fall 2015, Montague was summoned to appear before Yale’s University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct.
Montague was expelled months later. The university has not confirmed these details, citing confidentiality. Montague last played for the basketball team on February 6.
Montague’s case has been widely talked about on campus and T-shirts have been made in support of him and posters made against him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.