Doe v. Rollins Coll.
Doe v. Rollins Coll.
Opinion of the Court
ROY B. DALTON JR., United States District Judge *1207In this Title IX case, Defendant Rollins College ("Rollins ") moves to dismiss Plaintiff John Doe's Amended Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Doc. 17 ("Motion ").) Plaintiff responded. (Doc. 25.) On review, the Motion is due to be denied.
I. BACKGROUND
This case involves an accusation of sexual assault brought against Plaintiff, a former Rollins student, by Jane Roe, another Rollins student.
Following the publication of the report, Plaintiff received a 27-page letter from Jimenez. (Id. ¶ 59.) Based on the report, which the letter essentially re-printed, Jimenez told Plaintiff that he had been found responsible for violating Rollins Sexual Misconduct Policy. (Id. ) So Plaintiff received these sanctions: (1) a no contact order prohibiting contact with Jane Roe; (2) permanent separation from Rollins without the opportunity for readmission, noted on Plaintiff's transcript; and (3) prohibition from participation in commencement/graduation and any alumni events. (Id. ) Plaintiff submitted an appeal, which Rollins denied. (Id. ¶¶ 60-61.)
From all this, Plaintiff contends that he has been denied the benefits of an education at his chosen school, his academic and professional reputations have been damaged, and his ability to enroll at institutions of higher learning and pursue a career may be affected. (Id. ¶ 62.) Plus, he has suffered significant economic and emotional damages. (Id. ¶ 63.) Thus, Plaintiff instituted this action against Rollins and now brings two claims under Title IX and one claim for breach of contract based on Rollins handling of Jane Roe's complaint. (Id. ¶¶ 64-103.) Rollins moves to dismiss, claiming that the Amended Complaint fails to state a plausible claim, includes immaterial and irrelevant allegations, and constitutes a shotgun pleading. (Doc. 17.) With Plaintiff's Response (Doc. 25), the matter is ripe.
II. LEGAL STANDARDS
Under the minimum pleading requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, *1208plaintiffs must provide short and plain statements of their claims with simple and direct allegations set out in numbered paragraphs and distinct counts. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a), 8(d), & 10(b). If a complaint does not comport with these minimum pleading requirements, if it is plainly barred, or if it otherwise fails to set forth a plausible claim, then it is subject to dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6). See Ashcroft v. Iqbal ,
Plausible claims must be founded on sufficient "factual content" to allow "the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." See Iqbal ,
III. DISCUSSION
Plaintiff brings two Title IX claims for erroneous outcome and selective enforcement and a breach of contract claim for violating the Sexual Misconduct Policy based on Rollins' investigation and handling of this matter. (Doc. 14, ¶¶ 64-103.) The Court addresses the sufficiency of each claim below.
A. Title IX Claims
Among other things, Title IX mandates that "[n]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
Under Title IX, students "attacking a university disciplinary proceeding on grounds of gender bias" may assert two types of claims-"Erroneous Outcome"
*1209and "Selective Enforcement."
i. Erroneous outcome
To state a plausible Erroneous Outcome claim, Plaintiff must allege: (1) "particular facts sufficient to cast some articulable doubt on the accuracy of the outcome of the disciplinary proceeding;" and (2) "a particularized allegation relating to a causal connection between the flawed outcome and gender bias," i.e., "particular circumstances suggesting that gender bias was a motivating factor behind the erroneous finding."
Conclusory assertions concerning bias and discriminatory intent are insufficient to establish gender bias at the pleading stage. See Yusuf ,
Like Columbia , the Amended Complaint first alleges that substantial criticism from the student body and public over how Rollins handled complaints by female students alleging sexual assault by male students motivated Rollins to accept the female student's accusation of sexual assault and reject the male student's claim of consent to protect Rollins' image. (See Doc. 14, ¶¶ 67-72.) Such "criticism" took the form of adverse news coverage, campus meetings or protests, and enforcement actions concerning Rollins. (Id. ¶ 68.) For example, the Amended Complaint points to *1210a USA Today article that quoted a Rollins student describing a "Slut Walk" staged by female students in 2013-14 to protest people justifying rape based on dress, appearance, or intoxication. (Id. ¶ 68c. (citing Jonathan Swartz, 'Slut Shaming' Has More To Do with Social Standing than Sex, Study Says , USA Today (June 3, 2014), https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2014/06/03/slut-shaming-has-more-to-do-with-social-standing-than-sex-study-says/37391581/.) In 2015, Rollins' Director of Public Safety published an article in the Orlando Sentinel speaking to some issues, from the school's perspective, with abiding by federal and state requirements for sexual assault allegations. (Id. ¶ 68d. (citation not found).) And in September 2017, the student newspaper published a piece critiquing the Department of Education's recent changes to Title IX guidance that, from the author's perspective, would likely lead to increased underreporting of campus sexual assaults and deplete victims' rights. (Id. ¶ 68e. (citing Keila Makowski, Protecting the Perpetrator: Title IX's New Guidelines , The Sandspur (Sept. 28, 2017), http://www.thesandspur.org/protecting-perpetrator-title-ixs-new-guidelines/.)
Beyond this, the Amended Complaint details another Title IX case brought against Rollins alleging gender bias, Mancini v. Rollins College , Case No. 6:16-cv-2232-Orl-37-KRS,
Altogether, these articles display a Rollins-specific concern with campus attitudes towards sexual assault, specifically victims being taken seriously, and administrative concern that mandated procedures weren't doing enough. Plaintiff contends that Rollins reacted to this criticism by favoring "the accusing female over the accused male," and this "biased stance" was evident in Rollins' handling of Jane Roe's complaint. (Doc. 14, ¶¶ 72-74.) Because of this gender bias, Plaintiff asserts that Rollins' process of investigating and disciplining Plaintiff was flawed from the beginning, as the entire procedure slanted toward believing Jane Roe rather than uncovering the truth. (Id. ¶ 73.)
At this stage, the Court finds that Plaintiff has met his burden to plead gender bias. Rollins investigated Plaintiff's claims amidst a clamor of public and campus scrutiny over its treatment of sexual assault complaints by female students. Alone, allegations of external pressure fail to support an inference of gender discrimination.
*1211See Doe v. Baum ,
Thus, taking Plaintiff's allegations of external pressure from increased public scrutiny with the Mancini litigation and the particular circumstances of Plaintiff, the Court finds Plaintiff's claim plausible. At this pleading stage, the Court construes all allegations in Plaintiff's favor, and Plaintiff's claim that Rollins acted out of gender bias is plausible. Discovery may reveal differently, but Plaintiff has sufficiently pleaded circumstantial evidence of gender discrimination. See Baum ,
ii. Selective enforcement
To state a Selective Enforcement claim, Plaintiff must allege sufficient facts to permit the plausible inference that "a similarly-situated member of the opposite sex was treated more favorably than the plaintiff due to his or her gender." See Doe v. Cummins ,
At the motion to dismiss stage, the Court finds that Plaintiff's allegations plausibly make out a selective enforcement claim against Rollins. As Plaintiff alleges, the information Rollins collected during the investigation could have equally supported disciplinary proceedings against Jane Roe for also violating the Sexual Misconduct Policy. (Doc. 14, ¶¶ 81-82.) Yet Rollins treated Jane Roe-a female student-differently. (Id. ) Preferentially even, as Plaintiff alleges. (Id. ¶¶ 83-84.) Such allegations sufficiently support a selective enforcement claim against Rollins. See, e.g., Doe v. Amherst Coll. ,
B. Breach of Contract Claim
Last, the Court evaluates Plaintiff's breach of contract claim. (Doc. 14, ¶¶ 88-103.) Plaintiff contends that his enrollment at Rollins, payment of tuition and fees, and attendance gave rise to a relationship, contractual in nature. (Id. ¶ 89.) The terms of this contract were set forth in the student handbook and Rollins' policies and procedures, which incorporate the Sexual Misconduct Policy and accompanying Bill of Rights. (Id. ; see also Docs. 1-2, 1-3.) Plaintiff thus points to various provisions of the Sexual Misconduct Policy that Rollins allegedly violated in its handling and adjudication of Jane Roe's complaint (see Doc. 14, ¶ 99), including the guarantee of an outcome based on information that is "credible, relevant, based in fact, and without prejudice," without regard to any "irrelevant prior sexual history" (id. ¶¶ 99d.-99e.). Plaintiff also alleges that Rollins breached an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by failing to provide him "with an investigatory and adjudicatory process that was 'essentially fair.' " (Id. ¶ 100.) Specifically, Rollins used a biased investigator who assessed Jane Roe's account as credible over Plaintiff's, failed to provide Plaintiff the opportunity to cross-examine or otherwise question Jane Roe, reached the outcome without sufficient evidence, and conducted its investigation and adjudicatory process without complying with federal law and the Clery Act. (Id. ¶¶ 101a.-101d.; see also ¶¶ 102a.-102c.)
These allegations give rise to a plausible breach of contract claim. See, e.g., Doe v. Lynn Univ., Inc. ,
IV. CONCLUSION
Accordingly, it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Defendant's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's Amended Complaint (Doc. 17) is DENIED .
DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers in Orlando, Florida, on January 16, 2019.
On motion, Plaintiff is currently proceeding by pseudonym. (See Docs. 2, 15, 18, 26, 28.)
"Unpublished opinions are not controlling authority and are persuasive only insofar as their legal analysis warrants." Bonilla v. Baker Concrete Const., Inc. ,
Plaintiff alleges, and Rollins does not dispute that it is private university that receives federal funding. (Doc. 14, ¶¶ 5, 66-67.)
As it stands, "[n]either the Supreme Court nor [the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit] has established a framework for analyzing Title IX challenges to university disciplinary proceedings." Doe v. Valencia Coll. ,
The Court finds no merit to Rollins' argument that Plaintiff brings a "disparate impact" claim. (Doc. 17, p. 6.) Indeed, the Amended Complaint makes plain what Title IX claims Plaintiff is pursuing: erroneous outcome and selective enforcement. (See Doc. 14, ¶¶ 64-87.)
See also Doe v. W. New Eng. Univ. ,
See also Miami Univ. ,
The Court finds the Amended Complaint's references to Mancini clearly relevant and material in the context of the Erroneous Outcome analysis, so denies outright Rollins' embedded request to strike these references. (Doc. 17, pp. 9-10.)
Having found each claim plausibly pled, the Court denies Rollins' embedded motion to strike and last-minute argument that the Amended Complaint fails to satisfy Rule 8. (Doc. 17, pp. 13-16.) Far from being unwieldy and containing anything irrelevant or immaterial, the Court finds that the Amended Complaint clearly and appropriately details the events giving rise to Plaintiff's claims.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- John DOE v. ROLLINS COLLEGE
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published