Lawsuit: student sues, alleging professor coerced her into sex

Lawsuit%3A+student+sues%2C+alleging+professor+coerced+her+into+sex

Amber Colón, Editor-in-Chief

A student is suing the University and an instructor after she said he pressured her into having sex with him for an “A” in his class. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in the Cook County Circuit Court. According to court documents, the woman is seeking over $200,000 in damages.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the two met for dinner and a drink on April 15, 2016, where he “plied her with alcohol in an attempt to get her intoxicated.” The woman was enrolled in the professor’s class during the spring 2016 semester, according to the suit. The professor also tried to kiss the woman after dinner, but she turned away and said “no.” Later, on the drive back to campus, the professor invited her into his home. She agreed to enter his home and went to the bathroom. After exiting the bathroom, the student found the professor on  where he convinced her to have sex with him, all according to the suit.

On a second occasion, the instructor asked the woman to his on-campus office. The woman said she refused to have sex with him in his office. He then told her to “get on the floor and play with herself,” and the woman said she did, according to the suit.

The woman said that she felt obliged to comply with her instructor’s requests, as he offered her exemption from the final exam and an “A” in his course, as the Sun-Times reported.
The suit is also seeking damages under the Gender Violence Act along with negligence.

According to the suit, the woman has since suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression after her interactions with the professor, and that his behavior and actions amount to battery.

The suit also said that the specific professor has been the subject of “many complaints for sexual harassment, unwanted touching of students of the University and obnoxious behavior.” According to the Sun-Times, the suit claims that the University “should have known (the instructor) had made sexual advances and inappropriately touched other female students” and that the University is perpetuating gender-based violence by allowing the professor to be alone with the woman.

DePaul has not issued an official comment.