Title IX is a civil rights law that forbids gender-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions and programs. It specifically condemns sexual misconduct in all of its forms, including sexual harassment, sexual assault and other discriminatory acts that create a hostile environment on campus.
Title IX requires schools to take immediate action upon notification of complaints involving sexual misconduct. If a student is found “responsible” after the Title IX resolution process has ensued, he or she has the right to challenge this decision by submitting an appeal.
Your Right to Appeal
The right to appeal is among the most important rights entitled to student respondents. As many students have unfortunately experienced, school authorities are not infallible. They are capable of making mistakes that could significantly impair a student's academic and professional career. Title IX sanctions are notoriously harsh, resulting in a semester and year-long suspensions, program withdrawals, and expulsions. With such high stakes, student respondents with “responsible” findings should ensure that the decisions made in their case are fair and founded. They can effectively do so by means of an appeal.
Questions about the appellate process and your next steps for approaching an unfavorable Title IX case outcome should be discussed with a student defense attorney. Legal professional Joseph D. Lento can help you draft a compelling and effective appeal.
Grounds for an Appeal
Unfortunately, a school will only consider an appeal for review if it based on specific grounds. These grounds must be related to issues, discrepancies, and inconsistencies in the Title IX resolution process. An appeal is not an opportunity to further assert your innocence. The decision to appeal a determination and/or sanction essentially boils down to how well you and your advisor can establish at least one of the following four grounds:
- Disproportionate sanction: the sanction(s) imposed is unduly disproportionate to the alleged violation.
- Procedural error: a serious mistake was made at some point in the Title IX resolution process, and it influenced the outcome of a determination and/or sanction.
- New evidence available: evidence that supports the case of a respondent, and would have had a substantial impact on a case outcome became available after a hearing.
- A violation of due process rights: an institution robbed a student of their entitled rights under Title IX and school policy.
Each school has its own unique submission and content appeal guidelines. To identify deadlines, dates, and more important information check your school's student handbook or code of conduct. If your appeal is not submitted in a timely manner or is not considered substantively eligible, the original sanction will stand.
Kentucky Title IX Appeal Advisor
If you are a student attending a Kentucky college or university with intentions of appealing a Title IX case outcome, you need the help of a skilled student defense attorney. Legal professional Joseph D. Lento has helped students in this situation clear their name, and overturn their finding by helping them submit a compelling appeal. He has the expertise, skill, and experience to help you do the same. Contact him online or give him a call at 888-535-3686 for assistance.
- Alice Lloyd College
- Asbury University
- Ashland Community and Technical College
- ATA College
- Beckfield College Florence
- Bellarmine University
- Big Sandy Community and Technical College
- Bluegrass Community and Technical College
- Brescia University
- Brown Mackie College Hopkinsville
- Brown Mackie College Louisville
- Brown Mackie College Northern Kentucky
- Campbellsville University
- Centre College
- Clear Creek Baptist Bible College
- Daymar College Bellevue
- Daymar College Bowling Green
- Daymar College Louisville
- Daymar College Louisville
- Daymar College Madisonville
- Daymar College Online
- Daymar College Owensboro
- Daymar College Paducah Main
- Daymar College Scottsville
- DeVry University Kentucky
- Eastern Kentucky University
- Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
- Gateway Community and Technical College
- Georgetown College Georgetown, Kentucky
- Hazard Community and Technical College
- Henderson Community College
- Hopkinsville Community College
- ITT Technical Institute Lexington
- ITT Technical Institute Louisville
- Jefferson Community and Technical College
- Kentucky Christian University
- Kentucky Mountain Bible College
- Kentucky State University
- Kentucky Wesleyan College
- Lincoln College of Technology Florence
- Lindsey Wilson College
- Madisonville Community College
- Maysville Community and Technical College
- MedTech College Lexington Campus
- Mid Continent University
- Midway College
- Morehead State University
- Murray State University
- National College Lexington
- Northern Kentucky University
- Owensboro Community and Technical College
- Saint Catharine College
- Simmons College of Kentucky
- Somerset Community College
- Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
- Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
- Spalding University
- Spencerian College
- Spencerian College Lexington
- Sullivan College of Technology and Design
- Sullivan University
- Thomas More College
- Transylvania University
- Union College
- University of Kentucky
- University of Louisville
- University of Phoenix Louisville Campus
- University of Pikeville
- University of the Cumberlands
- West Kentucky Community and Technical College
- Western Kentucky University
A Title IX finding of responsibility can change an accused student's life if not properly addressed and appealed, and Joseph D. Lento has a decade of experience passionately fighting for the futures of his clients at universities and colleges throughout the nation. He does not settle for the easiest outcome, and instead prioritizes his clients' needs and well-being. Joseph Lento is a licensed attorney in New Jersey and New York, is admitted as an attorney pro hac vice in state and federal court if needed when representing clients nationwide, and serves as a Title IX advisor and educational consultant to students facing disciplinary cases in Kentucky and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected - Contact National Title IX attorney Joseph D. Lento today.
