Neal v. Colo. State University-Pueblo

GRANT NEAL, Plaintiff, v. COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY-PUEBLO,BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM,ROOSEVELT WILSON, in his official capacity,JENNIFER DELUNA, in her official capacity,LESLEY DIMARE, in her official capacity,KAITLYN BLAKEY, in her official capacity,MARIE HUMPHREY, in her official capacity,UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS,JOHN B. KING, JR., in his individual and official capacities,CATHERINE LHAMON, in her individual and official capacities,and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Defendants.

Civil Action No. 16-cv-873-RM-CBS

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO

February 16, 2017

RECOMMENDATION ON MOTIONS TO DISMISS

Magistrate Judge Craig B. Shaffer

Plaintiff Grant Neal alleges that the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University system (hereinafter referred to as the "Board of Governors"), Colorado State University-Pueblo ("CSU-Pueblo") and five individuals in their official capacities for CSU-Pueblo (collectively, the "State Defendants") violated federal and state laws in erroneously finding him responsible for sexual misconduct and suspending him from CSU-Pueblo. Mr. Neal also claims that through its enforcement of a 2011 "Dear Colleague Letter" ("2011 DCL"), the U.S. Department of Education ("DOE"), its Office of Civil Rights ("OCR") and related federal Defendants¹ pressured the State Defendants to discipline males accused of sexual misconduct, such as Plaintiff, regardless of whether the allegations had merit. Plaintiff seeks judicial review of whether DOE violated the Administrative Procedures Act in promulgating the 2011 DCL.

The case is before the court on Judge Raymond P. Moore's referral of Defendants' motions (docs. #27, 31) to dismiss the Amended Complaint ("AC," doc. #8). Plaintiff waived oral argument (doc. #75), and Defendants did not oppose that waiver. For the reasons that follow, the court recommends granting in part and denying in part the State Defendants' motion. The court recommends granting the Federal Defendants' motion.

BACKGROUND

The court draws the following allegations from the AC, which it must accept as true for purposes of the Rule 12(b)(6) arguments.

I. State Defendants

A female student in the CSU-Pueblo athletic training program (referred to anonymously as "Complainant") alleged to the director of athletic training (Dr. Roger Clark) that on Saturday, October 25, 2015, Plaintiff had raped another female student in the athletic training program, referred to anonymously as Jane Doe. AC at ¶¶ 9-10, 90. Plaintiff alleges that his sexual conduct with Ms. Doe was consensual and that Ms. Doe stated and acknowledged several times that their sexual conduct was consensual. AC at e.g., ¶¶ 1, 9, 85, 91-95, 98-99, 114. Plaintiff alleges that "[g]iven Plaintiff's status as a high profile football player, Complainant presumed that Plaintiff had engaged in non-consensual contact with Jane Doe." AC at ¶ 89.

Complainant made the allegations without informing Ms. Doe or Plaintiff. Id. at ¶ 91. Her allegations were based upon a conversation she had with Ms. Doe on October 26, occasioned by Complainant noticing a "hickey" on Ms. Doe's neck. Id. at ¶ 89. The athletic training program prohibits trainers (such as Ms. Doe) from "fraterniz[ing] with athletes, and ... doing so could result in severe consequences including removal from the Athletic Training Program." Id. at ¶ 73. See also Id. at e.g., ¶¶ 80, 102. Ms. Doe allegedly had "described the encounter [in which she received the hickey] to Complainant in a manner that would conceal her relationship with Plaintiff, while also protecting her position in the program." Id. at ¶ 113.

By sometime on October 27, 2015, Dr. Clark reported the alleged incident to his wife, Laura Clark, another faculty member in the program (Id. at ¶ 97), and to Defendant Roosevelt Wilson, the CSU-Pueblo director of the office of equal opportunity/affirmative action and Title IX coordinator. AC at ¶ 100. On October 27, 2015, Mr. Wilson began investigating the allegations and met with Ms. Doe. Id. at ¶¶ 112, 114. That same day, Marie Humphrey issued a notice of investigation to Plaintiff. The notice stated "that he was 'being investigated for possible alleged violation of the Code of Student Conduct including Non-consensual Contact and Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse.' [sic]." Id. at ¶ 117. The notice also prohibited him from further contact with Jane Doe. Id.

Plaintiff alleges that the CSU-Pueblo Code of Student Conduct (the "Code") and Sexual Misconduct Policy (the "Policy") that he received upon acceptance to the school provide accused students the following procedures (among others):

"The right to be fully informed of the nature and extent of all alleged violations contained within the complaint;" "The right to be present for all testimony given and evidence presented before a hearing authority;" "The right to present witnesses and documentary evidence;" "The right to question and/or challenge witnesses and documentary evidence presented by others;" [and]"The right not to have any personal information released by the University to the public without prior consent."

AC at ¶ 56 (in part). He further alleges that the "Policy provides that students accused of sexual misconduct are entitled to the hearing process set forth in the Code." Id. at ¶ 58. "During a disciplinary hearing, both parties may provide information to the hearing authority for consideration, including witness statements and evidence." Id. at ¶ 64. "Determinations of responsibility are made using the preponderance of the evidence standard, which is defined by the Code as: 'whether it is more likely than not that a Respondent committed the alleged violation(s).'" Id. at ¶ 65. The Policy also provides for appeals on several grounds. Id. at ¶ 68.

Plaintiff alleges that from inception to completion, CSU-Pueblo railroaded him in order to find him guilty of the accused sexual misconduct regardless of the lack of evidence or merit in the allegations. He alleges that CSU-Pueblo did so because of gender bias against accused male athletes, the school's self-interest in its reputation, and the school's financial interest (i.e., its federal funding) in demonstrating to Federal Defendants that it would discipline accused males. He alleges for instance that

Wilson failed to consider Jane Doe's motivation for insinuating to Complainant that something improper may have occurred, when Complainant confronted Jane Doe about the hickey on her neck. Namely, recognizing the potential consequences of being disciplined for engaging in a relationship with a football player, Jane Doe described the encounter to Complainant in a manner that would conceal her relationship with Plaintiff, while also protecting her position in the program.

In fact, at no time did Jane Doe tell Defendant Wilson that she was involved in non-consensual sex with Plaintiff. To the contrary, at her meeting with Defendant Wilson on October 27, Jane Doe informed Mr. Wilson: "our stories are the same and he's a good guy. He's not a rapist, he's not a criminal, it's not even worth any of this hoopla!"

Nonetheless, CSUP pursued an investigation calculated to lead to the foregone conclusion that Plaintiff was responsible for the misconduct alleged.

Defendant Wilson accepted the statements of subjective, hearsay witnesses as credible and ignored evidence tending to exculpate Plaintiff, all while demonstrating an inherent prejudice against male athletes.

AC at ¶¶ 113-116.

During the investigation, Wilson met with Plaintiff twice. In the first meeting, October 29, 2015, Plaintiff alleges that

Wilson began the meeting by interrogating Plaintiff, asking him three times: "Did you rape [Jane Doe]?" By the third time, Defendant Wilson was standing up and looming over Plaintiff, apparently intending to intimidate him. * * * Defendant Wilson indicated to Plaintiff that the Complainant had described the encounter as an egregious act of rape and threatened that "he would get to the bottom of it."

AC at ¶¶ 122, 124. For the second meeting, November 20, 2015, Plaintiff brought the head football coach, John Wristen, as his advisor. During the November 20 meeting "Defendant Wilson indicated that there were ultimately four individuals who came forward to report the encounter to the Title IX office." Id. at ¶ 132. However, until Wilson completed the investigation, he failed to inform Plaintiff who the four witnesses were. In addition, at the November 20 meeting,

[w]hen Coach Wristen tried to make a statement in Plaintiff's defense, Defendant Wilson responded that he was "The Chief," in a clear effort to assert his authority over a fellow CSUP colleague.

AC at ¶ 131. Plaintiff further alleges that during the investigation, "Defendant Wilson professed that he was in charge of the investigation and would be the only person to declare someone a witness in this matter," which "depriv[ed] Plaintiff of the opportunity to identify witnesses in support of his defense." Id. at ¶ 142.

From his investigation, Wilson prepared a report dated December 3, 2015. AC at ¶ 112. Wilson provided his report to Defendant Jennifer DeLuna, the CSU-Pueblo director of diversityand inclusion. That same day, Plaintiff was given less than 24 hours' notice that Ms. DeLuna would hold an "informal disciplinary hearing." Id. at ¶ 133. Plaintiff alleges that the Code of Conduct does not define such a procedure (Id.), and that the Code required the notice of hearing to include "a detailed description of the allegations to be considered." Id. at ¶ 135. The notice, however, stated only the same description as the notice of investigation: that Plaintiff "may have violated the Code of Student Conduct, Sexual Misconduct (non-consensual sexual intercourse)." Id. Plaintiff alleges that the short notice deprived him of the ability to formulate a defense.

On December 4, 2015 DeLuna held the informal hearing with Plaintiff...