Yesterday, plaintiff Alyssa Reid filedย a lawsuitย in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia alleging due process, Title IX, and other violations by James Madison University staff over a Title IX investigation that, she alleges, was enacted โto exact revenge for a bad breakupโ with her ex-girlfriend Kathryn Lese.
The complaint states that Reid was โpassionate about education and teaching and felt especially compelled to help her students craft their own voices in order to advocate for those things that were important to them, whether it be the arts, politics, LGBTQ issues, or interpersonal relationships. She has long been a staunch advocate forย survivors of harassment and abuseย and used her debating and communications skills to give voice to their experiences [emphasis added].โ
The Complaint
The strongly worded complaint involves language commonly used to describe the plight of male plaintiffs (โweaponized Title IX,โ โrevenge for a bad breakup,โ โhe said, she said,โ etc.).
The complaint also acknowledges the incredible reputational, educational, and career harm incurred by false allegations of sexual abuse:
The complaint also argues Reid was deprived of the right to cross-examination โ one of the more controversial provisions of the Devos regulations.
This complaint does differ in a key respect, however: the alleged sexual abuse Reid was punished for was a โnonconsensual relationshipโ due to Reidโs position in the academic community (โSpeech Teamโs Assistant Director of Forensicsโ; Lese took โa graduate assistantship with the team in 2014โ).
Reid is represented by Harriet Hageman (the leading attorney) and John J. Vecchione of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which issuedย a press releaseย yesterday. According to Harriet Hageman, Senior Litigation Counsel:
JMU readily jumped in on the side of our clientโs accuser, becoming an advocate for what appears to have been an act of revenge over a bad breakup between two consenting adults. When Ms. Reid sought JMUโs assistance under Title IX to stop her ex-girlfriendโs harassment and abuse, JMU never bothered to respond. Instead, these Defendants moved forward with a โshamโ hearing, shielding the accuser from cross-examination and from having to support her accusations. These Defendants must be held accountable for their actions and prohibited from violating anyone elseโs due process and confrontation clause rights in the future.
Weโll be monitoring this case closely. You can find it in ourย Title IX Lawsuits Database.
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Yesterday, plaintiff Alyssa Reid filedย a lawsuitย in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia alleging due process, Title IX, and other violations by James Madison University staff over a Title IX investigation that, she alleges, was enacted โto exact revenge for a bad breakupโ with her ex-girlfriend Kathryn Lese.
The complaint states that Reid was โpassionate about education and teaching and felt especially compelled to help her students craft their own voices in order to advocate for those things that were important to them, whether it be the arts, politics, LGBTQ issues, or interpersonal relationships. She has long been a staunch advocate forย survivors of harassment and abuseย and used her debating and communications skills to give voice to their experiences [emphasis added].โ
The Complaint
The strongly worded complaint involves language commonly used to describe the plight of male plaintiffs (โweaponized Title IX,โ โrevenge for a bad breakup,โ โhe said, she said,โ etc.).
The complaint also acknowledges the incredible reputational, educational, and career harm incurred by false allegations of sexual abuse:
The complaint also argues Reid was deprived of the right to cross-examination โ one of the more controversial provisions of the Devos regulations.
This complaint does differ in a key respect, however: the alleged sexual abuse Reid was punished for was a โnonconsensual relationshipโ due to Reidโs position in the academic community (โSpeech Teamโs Assistant Director of Forensicsโ; Lese took โa graduate assistantship with the team in 2014โ).
Reid is represented by Harriet Hageman (the leading attorney) and John J. Vecchione of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which issuedย a press releaseย yesterday. According to Harriet Hageman, Senior Litigation Counsel:
JMU readily jumped in on the side of our clientโs accuser, becoming an advocate for what appears to have been an act of revenge over a bad breakup between two consenting adults. When Ms. Reid sought JMUโs assistance under Title IX to stop her ex-girlfriendโs harassment and abuse, JMU never bothered to respond. Instead, these Defendants moved forward with a โshamโ hearing, shielding the accuser from cross-examination and from having to support her accusations. These Defendants must be held accountable for their actions and prohibited from violating anyone elseโs due process and confrontation clause rights in the future.
Weโll be monitoring this case closely. You can find it in ourย Title IX Lawsuits Database.
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2 Comments
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Interesting enough in this article it is not mentioned that the other party involved was a student and that Alyssa was her boss. I think you missed that bit.
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Interesting enough in this article it is not mentioned that the other party involved was a student and that Alyssa was her boss. I think you missed that bit.
We addressed it near the end:
“This complaint does differ in a key respect, however: the alleged sexual abuse Reid was punished for was a โnonconsensual relationshipโ due to Reidโs position in the academic community (โSpeech Teamโs Assistant Director of Forensicsโ; Lese took โa graduate assistantship with the team in 2014โ).”