MCASA in the News: Defamation claim against alleged Salisbury U. sexual assault victim dismissed
MCASA in the News: Defamation claim against alleged Salisbury U. sexual assault victim dismissed
Aug 31st, 2015
The Daily Record reported on a recent court ruling regarding campus sexual assault and crime victims' rights to confide in others and seek support following a sexual assault.
In the decision, a federal judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit that two former Salisbury Univeristy students brought against a classmate who reported them for sexually assaulting her. MCASA's Sexual Assault Legal Institute represented the survivor.
MCASA's Executive Director and Counsel, Lisae Jordan, Esq., was quoted in the article.
“We particularly appreciate that the court understands that victims of crime,
particularly victims of sexual assault, have to be able to confide in
their families and the people who are close to them."
The decision affirms that statements made by survivors in the course of pursuing an on-campus adjudication for sexual misconduct cannot serve as the grounds for a defamation lawsuit, as such statements are made in the interest of preserving survivors' safety and should be considered privileged.
To read the full article, please click here.
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