Accused of a Title IX Violation/Sexual Misconduct at Vermont Law School?

This page will help you understand the process and your options.

Accused of a Title IX Violation/Sexual Misconduct at Vermont Law School?

This page will help you understand the process and your options.

If you are a student or faculty member at VLS and have been accused of violating its Title IX/sexual misconduct policy, you need an advisor to help protect your future. Title IX “grievance procedures” (a school’s process of investigating allegations, determining “guilt,” and issuing punishments) are surprisingly complex and, too often, unfair. The consequences for being found guilty (“responsible”) are real and can change the course of the rest of your life.

Depending on your situation, you are facing the possibility of suspension, expulsion, referral for criminal prosecution, termination of employment, revocation or future denial of professional licensing, or loss of immigration status and deportation. Many suspensions are effectively expulsions because students often lose access to scholarships and opportunities (whether athletic, professional, or academic) upon which their re-enrollment depends.

You can start working with an advisor at any point in the process, but earlier is always better because missed opportunities and mistakes made early can be hard or impossible to overcome later.

If you have just recently been accused or suspect you might be, make sure to read our guide on What to Do if You Are Wrongly Accused of a Title IX Violation. If you are a parent of an accused student, read our page for parents.

What is Title IX?

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities. Since the late 1990s, it has been increasingly applied to misconduct allegations. Schools are under incredible pressure to protect members of the community who claim to be victims.

If the world of Title IX is entirely new to you, you are not alone. Many students and parents wonder why schools like VLS are now determining guilt or innocence in what are often felony-level allegations. If you would like to learn more about Title IX, consider reading the following guides:

  1. What is Title IX? A Quick Beginner’s Guide
  2. Timeline: The Movement for Fairness for Accused Students and Teachers

What Would Vermont Law School Consider a Title IX Violation?

Title IX/sexual misconduct policies often prohibit the following conduct:

1. Sexual Harassment / Hostile Environment
2. Sexual Assault / Non-Consensual Sexual Contact
3. Rape / Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse
4. Dating or Domestic Violence
5. Stalking
6. Sexual Exploitation

Each allegation is unique, and there are unique strategies to defend against each of them. Be aware that the VLS may add charges throughout the process, including charges that fall under its “non-Title IX policies,” such as student or professional code of conduct policies.

Be aware that the rights afforded to you under non-Title IX policies are different than Title IX policies, and schools sometimes inappropriately pursue charges under the wrong policy.

Accused Student Lawsuits and Federal Investigations Against VLS

Since 2011, nearly 900 higher ed students who were accused of violating their schools’ Title IX policies have sued their schools, alleging that the school violated their rights while investigating the allegations against them or determining their “guilt.” You should be aware that VLS is one of those schools (example: Vaughan v. Vermont Law School, Inc. et al). We have studied these lawsuits extensively and track them in our Accused Students Database, which is publicly available. We use the knowledge learned from these lawsuits to help us advise our clients.

We also track completed investigations by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into schools for being non-compliant with Title IX. These investigations and their documents are found in our OCR Resolutions Database. Based on our current records, there are no such investigations regarding VLS.

Title IX Grievance Procedures at VLS

The process will be divided into several phases. Click on a tab to learn more about each one.

You Will Need Help from a Title IX Advisor

Title IX “grievance procedures” are complex. They are subject to federal regulations, judicial decisions in both state and federal courts, federal and state laws, school policies, and the undisclosed (and often unfair) interests and biases of administrators.

For those who are accused, the risks are high: suspension, expulsion, criminal prosecution, termination, revocation of licensing, and more are all possibilities. And unless you are able and willing to spend years of your life and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in litigation, you have one shot to get a favorable outcome.

Accused?

We provide affordable advisory services in defense of students and faculty wrongly accused of misconduct, both in Vermont and nationwide. Contact us by filling out the form below or calling โ€ช(903) 309-1845. Learn more here.

If you are a student or faculty member at VLS and have been accused of violating its Title IX/sexual misconduct policy, you need an advisor to help protect your future. Title IX “grievance procedures” (a school’s process of investigating allegations, determining “guilt,” and issuing punishments) are surprisingly complex and, too often, unfair. The consequences for being found guilty (“responsible”) are real and can change the course of the rest of your life.

Depending on your situation, you are facing the possibility of suspension, expulsion, referral for criminal prosecution, termination of employment, revocation or future denial of professional licensing, or loss of immigration status and deportation. Many suspensions are effectively expulsions because students often lose access to scholarships and opportunities (whether athletic, professional, or academic) upon which their re-enrollment depends.

You can start working with an advisor at any point in the process, but earlier is always better because missed opportunities and mistakes made early can be hard or impossible to overcome later.

If you have just recently been accused or suspect you might be, make sure to read our guide on What to Do if You Are Wrongly Accused of a Title IX Violation. If you are a parent of an accused student, read our page for parents.

What is Title IX?

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities. Since the late 1990s, it has been increasingly applied to misconduct allegations. Schools are under incredible pressure to protect members of the community who claim to be victims.

If the world of Title IX is entirely new to you, you are not alone. Many students and parents wonder why schools like VLS are now determining guilt or innocence in what are often felony-level allegations. If you would like to learn more about Title IX, consider reading the following guides:

  1. What is Title IX? A Quick Beginner’s Guide
  2. Timeline: The Movement for Fairness for Accused Students and Teachers

What Would Vermont Law School Consider a Title IX Violation?

Title IX/sexual misconduct policies often prohibit the following conduct:

1. Sexual Harassment / Hostile Environment
2. Sexual Assault / Non-Consensual Sexual Contact
3. Rape / Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse
4. Dating or Domestic Violence
5. Stalking
6. Sexual Exploitation

Each allegation is unique, and there are unique strategies to defend against each of them. Be aware that the VLS may add charges throughout the process, including charges that fall under its “non-Title IX policies,” such as student or professional code of conduct policies.

Be aware that the rights afforded to you under non-Title IX policies are different than Title IX policies, and schools sometimes inappropriately pursue charges under the wrong policy.

Accused Student Lawsuits and Federal Investigations Against VLS

Since 2011, nearly 900 higher ed students who were accused of violating their schools’ Title IX policies have sued their schools, alleging that the school violated their rights while investigating the allegations against them or determining their “guilt.” You should be aware that VLS is one of those schools (example: Vaughan v. Vermont Law School, Inc. et al). We have studied these lawsuits extensively and track them in our Accused Students Database, which is publicly available. We use the knowledge learned from these lawsuits to help us advise our clients.

We also track completed investigations by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into schools for being non-compliant with Title IX. These investigations and their documents are found in our OCR Resolutions Database. Based on our current records, there are no such investigations regarding VLS.

Title IX Grievance Procedures at VLS

The process will be divided into several phases. Click on a tab to learn more about each one.

You Will Need Help from a Title IX Advisor

Title IX “grievance procedures” are complex. They are subject to federal regulations, judicial decisions in both state and federal courts, federal and state laws, school policies, and the undisclosed (and often unfair) interests and biases of administrators.

For those who are accused, the risks are high: suspension, expulsion, criminal prosecution, termination, revocation of licensing, and more are all possibilities. And unless you are able and willing to spend years of your life and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in litigation, you have one shot to get a favorable outcome.

How We Can Help

We have been working on Title IX matters since 2010. As Title IX advisors, we have assisted countless students in their defense against Title IX allegations, both in Vermont and across the nation. We can help you at any stageโ€”from report to investigation to adjudicationโ€”with the goal of achieving the best possible outcome. Click a tab below to learn more about how we can help at each stage.

  • Crafting and helping you execute on a defense strategy that is tailored to the allegations against you and your specific circumstances

  • Raising timely objections to unfair proceedings based on an understanding of relevant regulations, laws, best practices, and the schoolโ€™s policies

  • Crafting written communication to administrators that portrays you and the evidence in as favorable a light as possible

  • Navigating confusing or vague no-contact orders and pushing back on such โ€œinterim/supportive measuresโ€ when they are excessive, self-contradictory, or unfair

  • Evaluating and helping you navigate school policies which are sometimes misapplied, confusing, vague, or contradictory
  • Requesting dismissals of allegations when the school must dismiss them, or when it makes sense to ask the school to exercise its discretion to dismiss them

  • Requesting extensions or accommodations to assist you with academic, well-being, or other matters

  • Evaluating, submitting, obtaining, and preserving evidence

  • Helping you practice telling your story to investigators: what you should include, exclude, emphasize, and how you should tell it
  • Evaluating what situations are favorable or unfavorable for counter-complaints, drafting them, and helping you argue them

  • Documenting meetings in the event that the record is contradicted by administrators or the adverse party

  • Drafting critical responses to investigative reports and evidence exhibits that decision-makers rely on for determining guilt or innocence.

  • Evaluating and gathering supportive witnesses
  • Cross-examining adverse parties and witnesses
  • Preparing you for tough questions during the hearing
  • Drafting your opening and closing statements with the goal of persuading the decision-maker to agree with your version of events

  • Drafting appeal documents with the goal of overturning a โ€œguiltyโ€ outcome and/or reducing the punishment

Alternative Resolution

This is an opportunity to resolve the allegations in a way that minimizes disruptions to all partiesโ€™ education and life. We can assist with critical communication during this phase.

Pre-Investigation / Initial Response

When a report has been made to the school alleging that you have committed misconduct but before a formal complaint has been signed and a formal investigation initiated, your rights exist in a gray area where schools have broad discretion. We can assist with emergency matters that arise in this phase, such unreasonable actions by the school that disrupt your housing and education. Learning to strategically manage your communication regarding the allegations and establishing your support network are also key during this phase, and we can help with both.

Probation

In the event that you are required to sanctioned (punished) with probation, managing the requirements of probation can sometimes be tricky. We can help.

How We Can Help

We have been working on Title IX matters since 2010. As Title IX advisors, we have assisted countless students in their defense against Title IX allegations, both in Vermont and across the nation. We can help you at any stageโ€”from report to investigation to adjudicationโ€”with the goal of achieving the best possible outcome. Click a tab below to learn more about how we can help at each stage.

  • Crafting and helping you execute on a defense strategy that is tailored to the allegations against you and your specific circumstances

  • Raising timely objections to unfair proceedings based on an understanding of relevant regulations, laws, best practices, and the schoolโ€™s policies

  • Crafting written communication to administrators that portrays you and the evidence in as favorable a light as possible

  • Navigating confusing or vague no-contact orders and pushing back on such โ€œinterim/supportive measuresโ€ when they are excessive, self-contradictory, or unfair

  • Evaluating and helping you navigate school policies which are sometimes misapplied, confusing, vague, or contradictory
  • Requesting dismissals of allegations when the school must dismiss them, or when it makes sense to ask the school to exercise its discretion to dismiss them

  • Requesting extensions or accommodations to assist you with academic, well-being, or other matters

  • Evaluating, submitting, obtaining, and preserving evidence

  • Helping you practice telling your story to investigators: what you should include, exclude, emphasize, and how you should tell it
  • Evaluating what situations are favorable or unfavorable for counter-complaints, drafting them, and helping you argue them

  • Documenting meetings in the event that the record is contradicted by administrators or the adverse party

  • Drafting critical responses to investigative reports and evidence exhibits that decision-makers rely on for determining guilt or innocence.

  • Evaluating and gathering supportive witnesses
  • Cross-examining adverse parties and witnesses
  • Preparing you for tough questions during the hearing
  • Drafting your opening and closing statements with the goal of persuading the decision-maker to agree with your version of events

  • Drafting appeal documents with the goal of overturning a โ€œguiltyโ€ outcome and/or reducing the punishment

Alternative Resolution

This is an opportunity to resolve the allegations in a way that minimizes disruptions to all partiesโ€™ education and life. We can assist with critical communication during this phase.

Pre-Investigation / Initial Response

When a report has been made to the school alleging that you have committed misconduct but before a formal complaint has been signed and a formal investigation initiated, your rights exist in a gray area where schools have broad discretion. We can assist with emergency matters that arise in this phase, such unreasonable actions by the school that disrupt your housing and education. Learning to strategically manage your communication regarding the allegations and establishing your support network are also key during this phase, and we can help with both.

Probation

In the event that you are required to sanctioned (punished) with probation, managing the requirements of probation can sometimes be tricky. We can help.

What Sets Us

Apart

Title IX advisors come in many shapes and sizes. Here is what makes us different.