Eleven Women Accuse Eastern Michigan University of Covering Up Sexual Assault Claims, Reports A Case for Women
YPSILANTI, Mich.: Last month, eleven women stepped up to file a lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University (EMU), accusing the university of covering up sexual assault, reports A Case for Women. While the lawsuit states that approximately 30 rapes are currently under investigation at the university, it implies that EMU allegedly created a culture of hiding reports of assault to protect the university and retaliated against survivors seeking justice.
According to the lawsuit, survivors were told assaults “were not even worth reporting” by a former Title IX coordinator and an EMU police officer told a student “nothing would happen” because she reported an assault two months after it occurred. The lawsuit even states that the EMU Police Chief had personal knowledge of an assault via a family member. But despite this, nothing was done to hold the perpetuators accountable.
“What these women have been through is unimaginable: thinking they could confide in the people they were told would help protect them, like the Title IX office, but ultimately discovering that speaking up meant retaliation,” said Susan Knape, founder of A Case for Women. “It’s not right. Women deserve to feel safe when reporting assault. I am so grateful that women have the opportunity to file lawsuits when the system fails to protect those who need help.”
A Case for Women has an established history of helping educate women about their legal options for institutional sexual assault. ACFW helps expose systemic abuse and works to educate survivors about opportunities to hold those entities responsible through legal action. Whether the abuse was caused by a rideshare driver, a physician, or another representative of a large organization, A Case for Women has stepped up to educate survivors about how to take their power back through legal action.
