Doe v. Baylor Univ.

336 F. Supp. 3d 763
District Court, W.D. Texas·Decided September 29, 2018·No. 6:17-CV-236-RP·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

ROBERT PITMAN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Each of the four plaintiffs in this case allege that while they were students at Baylor University they were sexually assaulted by another student, but when they sought assistance and protection from Baylor, the school did nothing (or almost nothing) in response to their reports. Plaintiffs allege that Baylor's failure to promptly and appropriately investigate and respond to student sexual assaults substantially increased the risk of sexual assault for Plaintiffs and for all female students at Baylor. They further allege that Baylor's own policies and selective conduct code enforcement created a discriminatory environment for female students that fostered sexual harassment and sexual assault and denied educational opportunities to Plaintiffs and other female students. Plaintiffs seek to hold Baylor liable under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ("Title IX"). Title IX provides that "[n]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). (Am. Compl., Dkt. 14).

Baylor moves to dismiss each Plaintiffs' claims. (Dkts. 20, 21, 22, 23). Baylor attempts to disclaim liability by arguing that Plaintiffs' alleged assaults were outside of their control, (Def.'s Mot. Dismiss Doe 12, Dkt. 20, at 6), that Baylor's investigations were not "clearly unreasonable," (id. at 12), and that Baylor's written policy prohibiting sex discrimination protects the university from certain claims under Title IX, (id. at 8). The Court disagrees.

At this stage of litigation, the Court considers only whether Plaintiffs' Complaint contains sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. Among their claims, Plaintiffs allege that Baylor discouraged them from reporting their assaults, failed to adequately investigate each of the assaults, misled and lied to Plaintiffs about their options for reporting and accommodations, and obstructed Plaintiffs' access to medical and mental health treatment. They also allege that these practices chilled other students from reporting sexual harassment. Plaintiffs assert that Baylor's practices in handling their reports reflect the school's widespread practice of mishandling reports of peer sexual assault. They allege that Baylor and its highest officers permitted the creation of a campus environment "rife with sexual assault," (Am. Compl., Dkt. 14, at ¶ 23), that "substantially increased Plaintiffs' chances of being sexually assaulted," (id. at 1), and ultimately created a hostile educational environment that deprived Plaintiffs of a normal college education, educational opportunities, and future earning capacity, (id. at 45-46).

What Plaintiffs allege-a widespread pattern of discriminatory responses to female students' reports of sexual assault permitted by high-ranking, policy-setting *769Baylor officials-presents a serious and plausible claim to relief under Title IX. Even those Supreme Court justices who expressed skepticism regarding holding institutions liable under Title IX for sexual assaults of individual students have suggested that "a clear pattern of discriminatory enforcement of school rules could raise an inference that the school itself is discriminating." Davis v. Monroe Cty. Bd. Educ. , 526 U.S. 629, 683, 119 S.Ct. 1661, 143 L.Ed.2d 839 (1999) (Kennedy, J., dissenting). In particular, they noted that a "school's failure to enforce its rules when the boys target the girls on a widespread level, day after day, may support an inference that the school's decision not to respond is itself based on gender" and thereby be actionable under Title IX. Id.

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), a court may dismiss a complaint for "failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). "To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a complaint 'does not need detailed factual allegations,' but must provide the [plaintiffs'] grounds for entitlement to relief-including factual allegations that when assumed to be true 'raise a right to relief above the speculative level.' " Cuvillier v. Taylor , 503 F.3d 397, 401 (5th Cir. 2007) (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). That is, "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Twombly , 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955 ). "[A] motion to dismiss under 12(b)(6) 'is viewed with disfavor and is rarely granted.' " Turner v. Pleasant , 663 F.3d 770, 775 (5th Cir. 2011) (quoting Harrington v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. , 563 F.3d 141, 147 (5th Cir. 2009) ).

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Doe v. Baylor Univ., 336 F. Supp. 3d 763 (W.D. Tex. 2018).

336 F. Supp. 3d 763 (Doe v. Baylor Univ.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related