After a 34-year career at Savannah State University, SSU terminated Chief of Police James Barnwell after conducting a harassment investigation using the single investigator model. Barnwell recently sued.

According to the complaint, SSU used โ€œselective testimonyโ€ from โ€œa prior investigation a year earlier of which he was not notifiedโ€ and of which โ€œthere is no investigative report.โ€ This raises obvious questions about how Barnwell could have had a meaningful opportunity to see and respond to the evidence against him.

Barnwell also alleges in his complaint that SSU failed to identify the โ€œspecific conduct for which he was found to have violated SSUโ€™s policies.โ€

While the investigation was done by a Board of Regents employee rather than the Title IX office, the complaint alleges the following procedural deficiencies common in complaints from students accused of Title IX related offenses (except the last):

Weโ€™ve included lawsuit this inย our databaseย since it involves many of the same โ€œfeaturesโ€ of Title IX investigations.

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About the Author

Jonathan Taylor is a Title IX advisor, the founder of Title IX for All, and the creator of its databases on Title IX litigation and enforcement.

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After a 34-year career at Savannah State University, SSU terminated Chief of Police James Barnwell after conducting a harassment investigation using the single investigator model. Barnwell recently sued.

According to the complaint, SSU used โ€œselective testimonyโ€ from โ€œa prior investigation a year earlier of which he was not notifiedโ€ and of which โ€œthere is no investigative report.โ€ This raises obvious questions about how Barnwell could have had a meaningful opportunity to see and respond to the evidence against him.

Barnwell also alleges in his complaint that SSU failed to identify the โ€œspecific conduct for which he was found to have violated SSUโ€™s policies.โ€

While the investigation was done by a Board of Regents employee rather than the Title IX office, the complaint alleges the following procedural deficiencies common in complaints from students accused of Title IX related offenses (except the last):

Weโ€™ve included lawsuit this inย our databaseย since it involves many of the same โ€œfeaturesโ€ of Title IX investigations.

Thank You for Reading

If you like what you have read, feel free to sign up for our newsletter here:

About the Author

Jonathan Taylor is a Title IX advisor, the founder of Title IX for All, and the creator of its databases on Title IX litigation and enforcement.

Related Posts

More from Title IX for All

Accused Students Database

Research due process and similar lawsuits by students accused of Title IX violations (sexual assault, harassment, dating violence, stalking, etc.) in higher education.

OCR Resolutions Database

Research resolved Title IX investigations of K-12 and postsecondary institutions by the Department of Educationโ€™s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).