Former student sues Vanderbilt for $10M after expulsion for sexual assault

A former student filed a $10 million lawsuit against Vanderbilt University, claiming he was wrongfully accused of sexual assault in 2016.

The student, identified only as "Z.J.," was expelled three days before his expected graduation and lost his ROTC scholarship, requiring him to repay $136,000 in tuition, according to the lawsuit filed May 5 in Circuit Court. As a result he also lost his commission as an Army officer.

The suit claims Vanderbilt did not follow its own campus discipline policies and denied him the right to confront his accuser or offer his own witnesses in a hearing that concluded he had assaulted a female student.

Vanderbilt officials are reviewing the lawsuit and said in a statement that the school "thoroughly investigate all sexual misconduct complaints and resolve them promptly and equitably, as required by federal law and Vanderbilt's sexual misconduct policy, which is designed to be fair to all parties." The student's attorney, Rob McKinney, declined to comment.

Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/05/15/former-student-sues-vanderbilt-10-m-after-expulsion-sexual-assault/323062001/