If you're a student that attends a college or university in Pennsylvania and you're facing a Title IX hearing, it's critical to take necessary steps as early as possible in advance of the hearing. Prior to a hearing taking place, a school will present an investigation report. Prior to the report being finalized, it's important to respond to the report as strongly and as effectively as possible. All relevant documentation, information and evidence would need to be included in the final investigation report. At an absolute minimum relevant text messages, social media posts, pictures, messages, videos, photographs, a toxicology report, for example, if consent is an issue, a forensic evaluation, a polygraph examination.
The report should be as strong as possible because once finalized it's presented to the hearing panel, the hearing panel will review it in advance of the hearing and will have a strong sense of the case before the hearing even takes place. Attacking the accuser's credibility is key throughout the course of the Title IX case. Questions would have to be prepared with that in mind for the accuser and the accuser's witnesses and accused and the accused witnesses would have to be prepped for the Title IX hearing. The hearing panel itself would have to be considered for potential bias and conflict and opening, an opening and closing statement would have to be prepared. An experienced attorney advisor can help make the Title IX hearing process go as fairly and as favorably as possible.
