Pierre v. University of Dayton

143 F. Supp. 3d 703, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141799, 2015 WL 6125303
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedOctober 19, 2015
DocketCase No. 3:15-cv-362
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 143 F. Supp. 3d 703 (Pierre v. University of Dayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pierre v. University of Dayton, 143 F. Supp. 3d 703, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141799, 2015 WL 6125303 (S.D. Ohio 2015).

Opinion

ENTRY AND ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER. (DOC. 2).

THOMAS M. ROSE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Pending before the Court is Plaintiffs Motion for Restraining Order. (Doc. 2.) [706]*706Therein, Plaintiff Dyshawn Pierre asks the Court to forbid Defendant the University of Dayton from enforcing its imposition of a one-semester suspension. (Id.) Plaintiffs Complaint charges Defendant with breach of contract in failing to adhere to provisions of its student handbook; negligence in breaching a duty to provide a fundamentally fair hearing; violation of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794(a) by failing to accommodate Pierre’s disability; violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12182; violation of Title IX, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681(a), 1687, by denying a fundamentally fair hearing, which resulted in an erroneous outcome, and violation of Title IX by acting with deliberate indifference to procedures and policies that effectively denied Pierre’s right to a fair hearing. (Doc. 1.) Plaintiff further seeks equitable relief in the form of vacatur of the University Hearing Board (“UHB”) decision on the bases of partiality and misconduct. (Id.)

“In determining whether to issue a temporary restraining order, the Court should consider: ‘(1) whether the movant has a strong likelihood of success on the merits; (2) whether the movant would suffer irreparable injury without the injunction; (3) whether the issuance of the injunction would cause substantial harm to others; and (4) whether the public interest would be served by the issuance of the injunction.’” Hunter v. Hamilton County Bd. of Elections, 635 F.3d 219, 233 (6th Cir.2011).

The first order of business, then, is to consider whether the movant has a strong likelihood of success on the merits of each claim. To do so requires a brief description of the facts of the case.

On April 22 and 23, 2015, Pierre and a female were voluntarily in Pierre’s bedroom. The two had sexual intercourse. The UHB ultimately determined that Pierre “was unable to demonstrate that he received any words or actions that indicated he had effective consent for sexual intercourse or sexual contact. This was illustrated by his general indication that he interpreted her body language as consent but failed to give specific examples of what this body language entailed.” (Doe. 7-4, PagelD# 387.)

The woman filed a complaint with the University on May 3, 2015. On May 4, Pierre was notified that a report had been received by the University’s Title IX/Equity Compliance Office and that the University would be investigating the report. (Doc. 2-6.) A copy of the report was attached to the May 4 correspondence. (Id.) The correspondence informed Pierre where to find a description of the procedures and protocols regarding the investigation; advised Pierre that he had a right not to participate in the investigation process; advised him that .refusing to participate or limiting his participation may limit the University’s ability to discover facts he may believe are pertinent; advised him that he would not be able to submit information to the student conduct system unless he submitted it through the investigation; and informed him that the Title IX/Equity Compliance Office would be happy to answer any questions he had about the process. (Id.)

On May 18, Pierre informed the University that because there was a criminal investigation pending, he had been advised by counsel to submit a written statement. (Lori Shaw Declaration at ¶5.) Pierre was advised that a written statement was acceptable and that it would be included in the case file. (Id.) Pierre was also reminded that he was permitted to provide a list of any potential witnesses as well as any physical or written evidence such as texts, emails, photos, medical reports that he wished to be considered by the investigatory team. (Id.) He was also advised that he [707]*707could submit impact statements and/or letters of reference. (Id.) Pierre was asked to submit those materials by May 28. (Id.)

Two professors in the University’s School of Law were assigned as the Title IX investigators. (Id. at ¶2.) Both completed specialized training in undertaking Title IX investigations and been certified by the Association of Title IX Administrators. (Id. at ¶3.)

On May 18, the investigators interviewed the Complainant. (Id. at ¶6.) She described her version of the events that took place on April 22-23 and drew a diagram of Pierre’s room. (Id.)

On May 21, the investigators interviewed two witnesses identified by the Complainant as individuals with knowledge relevant to the evening in question. (Id. at ¶7.) On May 28, the investigators interviewed Pierre’s roommate. (Id. at ¶8.)

On May 28, the investigators received Pierre’s written statement, text messages between him and the Complainant on April 23, an impact statement, and two character reference letters. (Id.) On June 4, the investigators performed a follow-up interview with the Complainant. (Id. at ¶10.) The Complainant also submitted an impact statement. (Id.) At the Complainant’s request, the Student Health Center sent a copy of her medical report. (Id.)

The investigators also sent a request for an interview to a male friend of both the Complainant and Pierre, but that male friend never responded to the request. (Id. at ¶11.) Before finalizing an interview summary, the investigators sent a copy to the interviewee for him or her to review for accuracy. (Id. at ¶12.)

The investigators emailed Mary Bu-chwalder, M.D. (Medical Director of the University’s Student Health Center) regarding medical terminology in the Complainant’s medical report. They received written statements from two witnesses that were provided to the University of Dayton police, and text messages from those two witnesses that were also provided to the University of Dayton police. (Id. at ¶13.)

On June 18, Pierre was given the opportunity to submit any additional information by June 22. (Id.) On June 19, the investigators completed their Title IX report. (Id. at ¶15.) Based on their investigation, they recommended the matter be referred to the Office of Community Standards and Civility (“OCSC”) for an Accountability Hearing to determine if Pierre was responsible for violating the sexual harassment section of the Code of Conduct. (Id.) That recommendation was accepted and the matter was referred for an Accountability Hearing. (Id.)

On June 17, Pierre submitted “Objections to Process” and a “Request for Discovery” to William Fischer, the University’s Vice President for Student Development. (Ex. 3 — William Fischer Declaration, at ¶2, Ex. A.) Pierre also requested that the University “abandon the current procedures and terminate all proceedings against me.” (Id.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
143 F. Supp. 3d 703, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 141799, 2015 WL 6125303, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pierre-v-university-of-dayton-ohsd-2015.