It is not something that happens often, but when it does happen it is tragic: a student accused of Title IX misconduct has committed suicide as a direct result of the accusation. It is important to call attention to these cases to highlight the incredibly destructive power that an accusation brings and how they are not just life-altering, but sometimes life-ending.

Such was the case with student Camren McKay Bagnall whose parents filed a lawsuit on his behalf on February 8th in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. The lawsuit is Bagnall v. California State University Maritime (complaint), which we have added to our Title IX Lawsuits Database. Here are the summary notes we entered into the lawsuit record in our database:

Accused student Camren McKay Bagnall committed suicide by hanging 139 days after the start of the investigation. Plaintiff Eric James Bagnall is his father. They are from Connecticut. The Title IX complainant is Lillian Gregg, who per the complaint presented contradictory stories regarding her consent/nonconsent at various stages of a sexual incident between the two on August 16th, 2022.

The complaint argues, among other things, that text messages demonstrated the incident was consensual, that witnesses who observed Camren around the time of the incident confirm that Camren was not – as alleged by Lillian- intoxicated, and that Lillian’s warm and outgoing behavior toward Camren after the incident stands in contrast to her allegations of being fearful.

The complaint alleges Camren was the subject of subsequent bullying, such as fellow students nicknaming him “The First Floor Rapist,” and stating he should be behind bars, and calling him a rapist in the dining center.

Title IX Coordinator Vineeta Dhillon is accused of her bias due to her feminist activity on social media and allegations of her presumptions of guilt toward the accused during the grievance process.

The lawsuit is still in an early stage. No motion to dismiss has yet been filed. The Plaintiff is represented by the Lento Law Group and The Law Offices Of Mark Sherman, LLC.

More Accused Student Suicides

Other cases involving parents suing in behalf of their children who were accused of Title IX misconduct and committed suicide as a result of the accusation are Klocke v. UT-Arlington, Xu vs Occidental College, and Meyer v. Stanford.

These cases demonstrate what we have long asserted: that allegations of abuse are not mere name-calling. They often, in effect, destroy everything that makes life worth living: a good name, loving relationships, a decent job, education, and more. While celebrities and wealthy individuals may be insulated from the effects of the such accusations, for the vast majority of men an accusation is often a form of punishment in itself, which makes fair procedures and false allegations that much more worthy of our attention.