BATON ROUGE – Louisiana State University has confidentially settled long-standing litigation brought by a group of women in 2021, who alleged the school’s program to investigate and respond to sexual assault claims was inadequate, and allowed for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community to be traumatized.
The plaintiffs in the case included Abby Owens, Samantha Brennan, Calise Richardson and Ashlyn Robertson, all of whom alleged sexual misconduct by former LSU football player Derrius Guice.
Another plaintiff, LSU tennis player Jade Lewis, alleged the school failed to properly investigate reports that she was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, LSU football player Drake Davis.
Plaintiffs Elisabeth Andries, Corinn Hovis, Sarah Beth Kitch and Kennan Johnson alleged they were subjected to sexual misconduct or sex-based discrimination at LSU, and that the school did not adequately or properly investigate their cases, actions running afoul of Title IX laws which mandate institutions to respond to reports of sexual misconduct and domestic violence on campus.
In March 2021, plaintiffs Owens and Brennan testified about their experiences before the Louisiana’s Legislature’s Senate Select Committee on Women & Children, just after an investigation by law firm Husch Blackwell found that LSU was remiss on numerous fronts in how it dealt with sexual assault and domestic violence cases on campus for years.
The plaintiffs attended LSU between the years 2013 and 2021, and had argued the school’s response to reports of sexual misconduct fell “in favor of promoting and glorifying LSU student-athletes and coaches to reap the financial and reputational benefits of a venerated college football program.”
LSU officials had denied the plaintiffs’ allegations, countering that the plaintiffs’ complaints were not filed in a timely manner, and that they, in an administrative capacity, could not be deemed liable for students’ off-campus behavior.
Though more than a dozen LSU administrative officials were initially named in the suit, all had since been dismissed from the case and the only remaining defendant when the case was settled was the LSU Board of Supervisors. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
According to the July 24 stipulation to dismiss the case with prejudice: “Plaintiffs Abby Owens, Samantha Brennan, Calise Richardson, Jade Lewis, Kennan Johnson, Elisabeth Andries, Jane Doe, Ashlyn Robertson, Corinn Hovis, and Sarah Beth Kitch and Defendant Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College through undersigned counsel, to notify this Court that they have entered into a written settlement agreement that resolves all issues pending in this matter. The parties also stipulate to entry of the attached proposed order dismissing plaintiffs’ amended complaint in the above-captioned matter with prejudice and fully and finally terminating this matter.”
The plaintiffs were represented by Catherine E. Lasky, Alex S. Aughtry and Katie Lasky of Lasky Law in New Orleans, plus Elizabeth K. Abdnour of Abdnour Weiker and Karen Truszkowski of Temperance Legal Group, of Lansing, Mich.
The defendant is represented by Susan W. Furr, Karleen J. Green, Shelton Dennis Blunt, Gregory T. Stevens, Jessica C. Huffman, Michael B. Victorian and Molly McDiarmid of Phelps Dunbar, in Baton Rouge.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana case 3:21-cv-00242
From the Louisiana Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com