A federal appeals court has restored part of a lawsuit against Western Kentucky University.
That suit was filed in 2018 by a former student body president. The Bowling Green Daily News reports the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has handed down a ruling that sets aside part of a lower court’s judgement against the plaintiff.
Andi Dahmer sued WKU four years ago, saying in her lawsuit that the school didn’t adequately respond to charges she made about sex-based harassment and discriminationshe said she suffered from other students while a member of the Student Government Association.
In addition to the university, those named in the lawsuit were WKU President Timothy Caboni, WKU Title IX coordinator Andrea Anderson, and WKU director of student activities Charley Pride.
A U.S. District Judge last year issued a summary judgement dismissing the claims against the school, saying Dahmer didn’t show that WKU was intentionally indifferent to her reports of harassment.
The appeals court ruling revives parts of Dahmer’s lawsuit, while upholding the dismissal of other parts.
The appeals court ruling orders a lower court to take up the issue of whether or not Charley Pride, in his capacity as director of student activities at WKU at the time of the lawsuit following, is covered under qualified immunity related to Dahmer’s claims that the university didn’t adequately address her claims of harassment.
Dahmer's 2018 lawsuit against WKU said a fellow member of the school's SGA harassed her after she filed complaints with the school's Title IX office, including through a parody Twitter account. The suit also said some SGA meetings were "sexually hostile".