Yale Title IX Sexual Assault Lawyer
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, is a federally protected right that protects students and faculty members of federally funded schools from all forms of sex-based discrimination while on campus.. Naturally, that right also includes freedom from being targeted by illegal acts of sexual assault or abuse. If you have been subjected to this kind of mistreatment on school grounds or from another student or faculty member, federal law requires your school’s administration to take certain actions to help you once you report that mistreatment to them.
Unfortunately, as experienced Title IX attorneys know all too well, not every institution of higher learning is as diligent about fulfilling their Title IX obligations or enforcing the Title IX rights of students and faculty members as they should be. With that in mind, seeking help from a dependable Yale Title IX sexual assault lawyer could be a key first step towards achieving a favorable result from your Title IX proceedings.
Reporting Sexual Assault at Yale
If you have personally experienced or know that someone else has experienced sexual assault at Yale, you can confidentially report it to any of the school’s Deputy Title IX Coordinators or contact the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct. The latter organization is not formally associated with Yale’s Title IX Coordinator, but it does work closely with that Coordinator and with the University’s provost to ensure that complaints of sexual violence on campus are promptly addressed and that people who have experienced this kind of misconduct have supportive measures available to them.
On that note, the supportive measures that Deputy Title IX Coordinators can offer to people reporting sexual assault at Yale can range from counseling to campus escorts to changes in class schedules or voluntary leaves of absence, all of which should be provided free of charge and without any academic penalty. It is worth emphasizing as well that making a report in this way is not the same thing as filing a formal Title IX complaint, and while a Yale Title IX sexual assault attorney can help you pursue that option, you are under no obligation to escalate an initial report into a formal complaint, nor will anyone else do so without your consent.
Basic Steps in the Title IX Case Process
If you do choose to file a formal Title IX complaint, the Title IX Coordinator’s office will conduct an investigation into that complaint and continue to provide you with reasonable accommodations in order to ensure your safety and minimize disruption of your academic career. During this phase of the process, the school may offer to facilitate alternative dispute resolutions, but as these require the mutual consent of all involved parties and are not allowed in situations where the respondent is a danger to the Yale community, they do not often play a role in sexual assault cases.
Once the investigation concludes, the Yale Title IX Coordinator will schedule a hearing, during which advisors representing all involved parties—a role which your Title IX sexual assault lawyer can fill—may present evidence and cross-examine witnesses in front of a hearing panel. This panel’s decision at the conclusion of the hearing will determine what remedies and/or penalties, if any, the University will pursue in response to the allegation(s) and separately from any related criminal proceedings.
Consider Working With a Yale Title IX Sexual Assault Attorney
No one deserves to go through any form of sexual abuse under any circumstances, and certainly not while attending college or university. However, if you have nevertheless been subjected to sexual assault while at Yale, you may have more than one option for seeking remedies through both your school and the criminal justice system.
Guidance from a Yale Title IX sexual assault lawyer could be key to effectively and efficiently enforcing your rights. Call Mark Sherman Law today to learn more, or click here to visit our Avvo.com profile and read verified reviews from some of our previous clients.