A federal lawsuit was filed against Florida State University trustees by the woman who accused Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston of rape in 2012.
Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel reports the woman, who's listed as Jane Doe in the complaint, is seeking unspecified damages for Title IX violations. She states the school didn't provide the necessary response to the alleged incident.
The complaint also argues Florida State purposely hindered an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department to protect the football player, according to Sonnone:
The complaint states FSU intentionally hindered TPD's investigation 'so that Winston's FSU football career would be unaffected.' The FSU athletics department, according to the complaint, was in contact with TPD in January 2013 while senior associate director of athletic Monk Bonasorte and football coach Jimbo Fisher had knowledge of the rape accusation.
Winston's accuser is seeking a jury trial in the case. The report states she is seeking compensation including, but not limited to, education reimbursement, the expenses associated with the sexual assault, pain and suffering and a loss of future earnings.
The complaint does not list Winston or the TPD as defendants. The case is solely based on FSU failing to comply to the Title IX standards. From Sonnone:
'FSU became a sexually hostile environment where her rapist roamed free and could turn up at any moment, where she became the target of death threats and vilification campaigns,' the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges the university violated two counts of Title IX federal statutes, providing a 'clearly unreasonable response' and creating a 'hostile education environment.'
Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported in December 2013 that state attorney Willie Meggs decided Winston would not be charged in the case. He faced potential felony charges, but the state attorney said there wasn't enough evidence to have a "reasonable likelihood of conviction."
Last month, Rachel Axon of USA Today noted Winston, who has maintained the encounter was consensual, was cleared of any student conduct code violations. Retired Florida Supreme Court justice Major Harding heard the case.
The latest complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando on Wednesday. Florida State officials have yet to make any comment about the latest news.
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