3 more women sue Baylor over reaction to rape allegations

Three more women filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Baylor University on Wednesday, saying the school did nothing to help them after they reported being sexually assaulted on or near campus.

The Baptist school in Waco, Texas, has come under intense criticism for mishandling allegations of sexual assault over several years, including cases involving football players. In recent weeks, university President and Chancellor Ken Starr was demoted and head football coach Art Briles was fired.

Already, Baylor is trying to settle a similar lawsuit filed by former student Jasmin Hernandez, who was attacked by former football player Tevin Elliott in 2012. Elliott is one of two former Baylor football players convicted of sexual assault since 2014. The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify sexual assault victims, but Hernandez has spoken publicly to draw attention to the case.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday lists three “Jane Doe” plaintiffs who allege they were attacked by fellow students on or near campus in 2004, 2013 and 2014. None of the alleged assailants are identified, but the woman in the 2014 case says her attacker was a football player.

The women say they reported the attacks to various campus officials, including police, physicians, student advocacy officials, a chaplain, a professor, an assistant dean and a dorm director, and got little or no assistance.

The lawsuit alleges Baylor violated federal Title IX anti-gender-discrimination regulations, and that Baylor’s failure to properly investigate and respond to the allegations “furthered sexual harassment and a hostile environment, effectively denying plaintiffs, and other female students, access to educational opportunities.”

The lawsuit says the woman in the 2004 attack dropped out in 2008, then re-enrolled at Baylor in 2015 only to be suspended in 2016 when anxiety over media reports of the investigation into sexual assaults affected her schoolwork. The woman in the 2014 case said she dropped out after the fall 2015 semester.

The lawsuit doesn’t say whether the woman in the 2013 case remains in school, but says the attack has “severely impaired her physical and mental health and well-being.” According to the lawsuit, a campus police investigation of her case remains open.

Baylor spokeswoman Tonya Lewis declined to comment on the allegations raised in Wednesday’s lawsuit.

‘’The decision to report to the university or other authorities is a brave and personal choice and occurs on the student’s timetable,” Lewis said. “We’re committed to, and have already begun to implement, changes in order to provide a safe and supportive environment for students and faculty.”

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