Columbia University Sued Over Handling of Rape Allegations

The university, its president, and a professor are being sued by a man who was accused of raping a Columbia student. The alleged victim, Emma Sulkowicz, had been carrying a mattress around campus as part of a performance art piece, which the man claims was a harassment campaign designed to push him off campus. The lawsuit claims that Columbia University was complicit in this campaign by giving Sulkowicz course credit for the project.

The alleged victim, Sulkowicz, had accused the man, Paul Nungesser, of raping her in 2012. However, the university's disciplinary panel had cleared Nungesser of wrongdoing. Sulkowicz later became an icon of the movement to reform campus sexual assault proceedings after her senior thesis and performance art piece, titled Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight), gained international attention.

The lawsuit claims that Nungesser was the "victim of harassment by another student, to devastating, long lasting results". It also claims that Nungesser was defamed and faced gender-based discrimination, and that Columbia was negligent and breached contracts.

Key Takeaways:

• Columbia University, its president, and a professor are being sued by a man who was accused of raping a student over the handling of the allegations.
• The alleged victim, Emma Sulkowicz, carried a mattress around campus as part of a performance art piece, which the man claims was a harassment campaign.
• The lawsuit claims that Columbia University was complicit in the campaign by giving Sulkowicz course credit for the project.
• The alleged rape occurred in 2012, and the university's disciplinary panel had cleared Nungesser of wrongdoing.
• Sulkowicz reported her case to authorities eight months later, and the complaint was later dismissed.
• Nungesser's lawsuit claims that all three women who reported him (including Sulkowicz, and two other women who filed complaints) were subjected to unfair disciplinary action.
• The lawsuit claims that Sulkowicz breached a confidentiality agreement and defamed Nungesser with a targeted campaign to push him off campus.
• Sulkowicz has stated that the art piece was a personal expression of her trauma and has denied that it was a harassment campaign.

Statistics:

• 2012: the year the alleged rape occurred
• 8 months: the time it took Sulkowicz to report the alleged rape to authorities
• 2014: the year Sulkowicz gained international attention for her performance art piece
• 2: the number of women who also filed complaints against Nungesser after Sulkowicz
• Multiple: the number of times Sulkowicz has publicly stated that she wants her rapist off campus

Sources:

• The Guardian
• Columbia University
• Andrew T. Miltenberg, attorney for Paul Nungesser
• Emma Sulkowicz's email to the Guardian
• Nungesser's lawsuit (filed in Manhattan federal court)