Lawsuit Says USF Violating Title IX After Alleged Attack: Report

TAMPA, FL - A USF doctoral student who says she was sexually assaulted by one of her classmates claims she’s being forced to attend class with her attacker. Doctoral student Samantha Garrett filed a federal lawsuit against USF on Thursday, saying the school violated Title IX protections by forcing her to have regular contact with Andrew Thurston, her alleged attacker, News Channel 8 reported.

Garrett told a professor about the attack weeks later and he notified USF Title IX officials. In the lawsuit, Garrett says the university allowed Thurston to have regular contact with her “over her strenuous and repeated objections.” Thurston attends one of her classes, teaches undergraduate students and conducts private meets with individual students, according to the complaint.

“The school’s actions come even after the results of its own investigation found evidence of non-consensual intercourse and the victim’s attacker accepted responsibility and referred to himself as ‘a monster,'” wrote Garrett’s attorney, Michael Dolce.

Read the News Channel 8 story here.

Patch staff photo by Amanda Lamela