Detroit – University of Michigan officials broke federal law by chasing students after an abuse scandal involving the late University of Dr. Robert Anderson was involved, exposing him to an increased risk of sexual assault, harassment, and emotional trauma. This resulted in a federal class action lawsuit filed on Thursday.
Ann Arbor’s UM junior Josephine Graham filed the lawsuit calling on the university to implement policies and procedures to prevent and respond to sexual violence on campus. These guidelines could include a court-appointed watchdog to oversee reforms such as background checks for new doctors, training for staff to identify sexual assault, and a tracking system for dealing with reports of sexual assault as per the lawsuit.
The class action lawsuit was filed a week after a university-commissioned report was closed that found officers disregarded Anderson’s “credible reports” of abuse. The former head of the university health service and later team doctor of the college’s sports department is accused of molesting more than 800 men during his tenure from 1966 to 2003. He died in 2008.
“U of M’s failure to have or enforce appropriate policies and procedures to prevent sexual violence on campus creates an environment in which current (and future) students are exposed to real, immediate and direct threats from sexual violence,” so Graham’s attorney E. Powell Miller wrote in the lawsuit.
In an email to The Detroit News on Thursday, university spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen wrote, “The university has not been served and is investigating the complaint.”
College officials betrayed the students’ trust and, according to the lawsuit, showed a pattern of indifference to sexual harassment and abuse.
The university violated federal law classifying sexual harassment as a form of gender discrimination that falls under Title IX, claimed Graham.
“Defendants’ continued failure to establish adequate gender discrimination policies, in the face of U of M’s failure to address the significant risk of a serial robbery, creates a real, immediate and direct threat of irreparable harm to the plaintiff and the class “she said lawyer wrote.
Graham wants a federal judge to direct UM to implement and enforce policies and procedures to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
These solutions could include:
• Introducing a policy requiring university officials to report incidents of student sexual assault to the authorities.
• Asking the university’s Board of Regents to conduct background checks on all new hires, including doctors who interact with patients.
• Annual review of the credentials of all clinical staff.
• Create a system that enables anonymous patient feedback.
• Providing information on how health care providers can identify and report sexual harassment and gender-based violence.
• Appoint an independent watchdog to oversee reforms and report regularly to the court.
Report: UM officials ignored “credible reports” of Anderson abuse
The Anderson scandal has resulted in dozens of lawsuits since early 2000.
The university’s 240-page report, commissioned and paid for by UM, concluded that Anderson’s sexually abused patients, 90% of whom were men, were “countless times.”
Rumors of his inappropriate behavior in exam rooms with gay athletes and students began circulating almost immediately after he arrived on campus, according to the WilmerHale law firm report released Tuesday. Although the report does not estimate the number of victims, UM is currently mediating with approximately 850 prosecutors.
Kim Kozlowski contributed to this
Twitter: @robertsnellnews
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