Florida A&M University College of Law. Credit: Google

A student at Florida A&M University College of Law has sued the university, alleging she was sexually assaulted and harassed by an admissions counselor and that the school failed to adequately respond when she reported the misconduct.

The plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe, claims that the admissions counselor used his position inside the admissions office to make her believe that he was responsible for her getting a seat in the fall 2017 incoming class. He leveraged that belief to make unwanted sexual advances on the plaintiff, she claims, and at one point forced her to perform oral sex on him in his car.

She reported the harassment and assault to officials, but the subsequent Title IX investigation was shoddy and cleared the defendant of misconduct, alleges the complaint, which was filed June 11 in an Orlando circuit court. Investigators ignored previous complaints about the defendant's conduct, it claims.

“The sexual harassment and assault of Jane Doe on campus grounds created an intolerably hostile and damaging environment for Jane Doe, and effectively barred her from access to educational opportunity or benefit from the school,” the complaint reads.

Florida A&M did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit Tuesday, but it issued a statement to a local television station saying that it had not yet reviewed the lawsuit. Similarly, the defendant did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff applied to the law school in 2017 and was not immediately accepted. She was still awaiting a decision on her application in July of that year when she reached out the admissions department, the complaint said. The defendant said he would “pull some strings” to get her accepted, and she was offered admission shortly thereafter, the complaint alleges.

The defendant then began texting the plaintiff, with the messages quickly turning sexual in nature. She alleges that he forcibly kissed her and grabbed her on several occasions throughout the fall, in the library and in his office. She blocked his number several times on her phone and social media and came up with excuses not to meet him, she claims, but was also concerned that he could wield his position within the law school administration to negatively impact her academic career.

Then in October of her first semester, the plaintiff claims the defendant requested she meet him by his car in a parking garage, then forced her—without her consent—to perform oral sex on him. The plaintiff reported the harassment to university officials in early December, and sought counseling for anxiety and depression, according to the complaint. The defendant was placed on administrative leave with pay during the university's investigation. Meanwhile, the plaintiff's grades suffered and she was placed on academic probation.

The plaintiff claims the university investigator misstated her allegations against the defendant, failed to follow up on corroborating evidence such as text messages between the two parties and phone records, and failed to gather witness statements.

The complaint alleges that the investigation was “superficial, perfunctory, incomplete, and inaccurate.”

Moreover, the complaint alleges that other female students had previously complained to the administration about the defendant sending inappropriate messages to their social media accounts as well as accusations that male admissions employees would demand sexual favors of female applicants in order to gain admission.

The defendant was reinstated to his position in May 2018, according to the complaint. It also alleges that the university has failed to accurately disclose the number of sexual assault reports made by students at the law school.

The plaintiff is asserting several violations of Title IX as well as negligence. She is seeking upwards of $5 million in damages as well as injunctive relief including the opportunity to bring up her first-year GPA and a no-contact order with the defendant.