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 “selective testimony” from “a prior investigation a year earlier of which he was not notified” and of which “there is no investigative report.” 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 “specific conduct for which he was found to have violated SSU’s policies.”
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):
We’ve included lawsuit this in our database since it involves many of the same “features” of Title IX investigations.
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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 Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Attorneys Directory
A basic directory for looking up Title IX attorneys, most of whom have represented parties in litigation by accused students.
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 “selective testimony” from “a prior investigation a year earlier of which he was not notified” and of which “there is no investigative report.” 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 “specific conduct for which he was found to have violated SSU’s policies.”
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):
We’ve included lawsuit this in our database since it involves many of the same “features” of Title IX investigations.
Thank You for Reading
If you like what you have read, feel free to sign up for our newsletter here:
Support Our Work
About the Author
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 Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Attorneys Directory
A basic directory for looking up Title IX attorneys, most of whom have represented parties in litigation by accused students.
