Northwestern student files lawsuit over alleged sexual attack
A Northwestern University student alleges in a federal lawsuit that the school mishandled her complaint that a professor sexually attacked her after getting her drunk in 2012.
The student, who was a freshman and underage at the time, tried to kill herself two days after the alleged attack, according to her lawsuit. She alleges that the university ignored requests to remove the professor and that she repeatedly bumped into him on campus, triggering panic attacks and worsening her mental state.
Her accusations shine a light on the sometimes tricky issues for universities facing sex crime allegations.
The Obama administration has stepped up efforts to hold schools accountable and to draw greater awareness of campus sex assault in the wake of several high-profile cases, including allegations that a Notre Dame University football player in 2010 attacked a student who later committed suicide and the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case at Penn State University. Nearly 1 in 5 women will be a victim of an attempted or actual sexual assault in college, according to the Justice Department.
The Northwestern student alleges that philosophy professor Peter Ludlow drove her to an art show in Chicago in February 2012 and then insisted she drink wine and beer over the next several hours at a restaurant and a few bars. According to the suit, she became so intoxicated that she fell "in and out of consciousness" but recalled Ludlow groping her despite her pleas to stop.
Her suit, filed Monday, alleges Ludlow ignored her requests to be driven home and instead took her to his apartment, where she passed out and woke up in the professor's bed. The suit alleges a sexual attack.
According to the suit, the director of the university's Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention found that Ludlow engaged in "unwelcome and inappropriate sexual advances" and that Ludlow had bought the student so much alcohol that she was unable to give "meaningful consent to this physical touching." But the university did not find that Ludlow groped the student inappropriately , according to the lawsuit.
The suit said university officials have refused to share any information with the student about whether the school took any disciplinary action against Ludlow, stating the matter was "private" and the university did "everything" it could.
Northwestern declined to answer a series of questions submitted Tuesday by the Tribune, including whether it notified police of the alleged attack.
"We don't comment on pending litigation, but the university has policies and procedures in place to protect our students and to address any such reported concerns," university spokesman Bob Rowley said in an email.
Ludlow, a Northwestern professor since 2008, referred questions to his lawyer, Kristin Case, who denied the accusations and noted that the suit was filed against Northwestern and not Ludlow. She declined to comment further.
The student, now a junior, wants the university to pay her medical bills, her tuition and her lawyer fees, and to compensate her for emotional distress.
The suit was filed using the woman's name, but the Tribune does not typically name victims of alleged sex crimes.
The student's lawyer, Kevin O'Connor, said Tuesday he could not comment on the case until he had spoken to her.
Northwestern has previously been criticized for its response to accusations of campus sex assaults. An undergraduate sued the school in 2008, alleging top administrators failed to discipline a student who raped her.
A philosophy blog, Leiter Reports, reported in November that Ludlow had accepted an offer to join the philosophy department at Rutgers University, where he also would serve as director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science.
Ludlow posted a link to the blog on his Facebook page and wrote, "I read this on Leiter, so it must be true."
A Rutgers official declined Tuesday to discuss any job offer but said that the university was unaware of the student's allegations against Ludlow.
"This was not brought to our attention by either the candidate or his employer," said Rutgers spokesman Greg Trevor. "We are looking into this matter thoroughly, including requesting all relevant information to fully evaluate his candidacy."
nrajwani@tribune.com
tlighty@tribune.com
Twitter @naheedrajwani
Twitter @tlighty
The student, who was a freshman and underage at the time, tried to kill herself two days after the alleged attack, according to her lawsuit. She alleges that the university ignored requests to remove the professor and that she repeatedly bumped into him on campus, triggering panic attacks and worsening her mental state.
Her accusations shine a light on the sometimes tricky issues for universities facing sex crime allegations.
The Northwestern student alleges that philosophy professor Peter Ludlow drove her to an art show in Chicago in February 2012 and then insisted she drink wine and beer over the next several hours at a restaurant and a few bars. According to the suit, she became so intoxicated that she fell "in and out of consciousness" but recalled Ludlow groping her despite her pleas to stop.
Her suit, filed Monday, alleges Ludlow ignored her requests to be driven home and instead took her to his apartment, where she passed out and woke up in the professor's bed. The suit alleges a sexual attack.
According to the suit, the director of the university's Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention found that Ludlow engaged in "unwelcome and inappropriate sexual advances" and that Ludlow had bought the student so much alcohol that she was unable to give "meaningful consent to this physical touching." But the university did not find that Ludlow groped the student inappropriately , according to the lawsuit.
The suit said university officials have refused to share any information with the student about whether the school took any disciplinary action against Ludlow, stating the matter was "private" and the university did "everything" it could.
Northwestern declined to answer a series of questions submitted Tuesday by the Tribune, including whether it notified police of the alleged attack.
"We don't comment on pending litigation, but the university has policies and procedures in place to protect our students and to address any such reported concerns," university spokesman Bob Rowley said in an email.
Ludlow, a Northwestern professor since 2008, referred questions to his lawyer, Kristin Case, who denied the accusations and noted that the suit was filed against Northwestern and not Ludlow. She declined to comment further.
The student, now a junior, wants the university to pay her medical bills, her tuition and her lawyer fees, and to compensate her for emotional distress.
The suit was filed using the woman's name, but the Tribune does not typically name victims of alleged sex crimes.
The student's lawyer, Kevin O'Connor, said Tuesday he could not comment on the case until he had spoken to her.
Northwestern has previously been criticized for its response to accusations of campus sex assaults. An undergraduate sued the school in 2008, alleging top administrators failed to discipline a student who raped her.
A philosophy blog, Leiter Reports, reported in November that Ludlow had accepted an offer to join the philosophy department at Rutgers University, where he also would serve as director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science.
Ludlow posted a link to the blog on his Facebook page and wrote, "I read this on Leiter, so it must be true."
A Rutgers official declined Tuesday to discuss any job offer but said that the university was unaware of the student's allegations against Ludlow.
"This was not brought to our attention by either the candidate or his employer," said Rutgers spokesman Greg Trevor. "We are looking into this matter thoroughly, including requesting all relevant information to fully evaluate his candidacy."
nrajwani@tribune.com
tlighty@tribune.com
Twitter @naheedrajwani
Twitter @tlighty
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