The June 2022 student discipline case Vengalattore v Cornell University illustrates what federal appeals Judge Jose Cabranes has called "Star Chamber" like and "deeply troubling aspects" of college and university Title IX sexual misconduct procedures. You can still get a fair hearing to defend and defeat false and exaggerated campus sexual misconduct charges, provided you have aggressive representation from national school discipline defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's student defense team. And the positive outcome of the Vengalattore case gives further hope that court litigation can correct any unfairness in the proceeding that affects its outcome. But a winning defense against false Title IX charges may still not be easy.

The Case's Factual Allegations

The defendant in the Vengalattore case was a Cornell University assistant professor whom Cornell denied tenure and then declined to renew for appointment. The professor alleged in his successful federal lawsuit that the university never even told him that a former student had secretly accused him of Title IX sexual misconduct years earlier, leading to his tenure denial and non-renewal. The professor further alleged that he had in fact, evaluated the student poorly years earlier for incompetence and classroom misconduct, in retaliation for which the student evidently made her false complaint years later when the professor applied for tenure.

As if the university's secrecy and presumption of the professor's guilt were not enough to violate the professor's due process rights, when the student's false allegations eventually came to light, the professor alleged that the university manipulated the bare proceedings to ensure that he didn't have a full and fair hearing. The professor had not, he credibly alleged, ever had any consensual or non-consensual sexual relationship or contact with the student, whose contradictory and conveniently timed allegations were clearly to retaliate against the professor and destroy his employment. But the one-sided university "investigation" did everything to keep that evidence from affecting the predictable outcome.

A Plain Lesson to Learn

The lesson to draw from the Vengalattore case and many others like it is that ideology, interests, and agendas can tip the scale of justice against the accused in college and university Title IX sexual misconduct proceedings. But the redeeming corollary to that lesson is that highly qualified, skilled, and aggressive representation from a premier school discipline defense attorney can tip the scales back for even-handed justice. Students and staff members wrongly accused of sexual misconduct can prove a winning defense to disciplinary charges. They just have to have a truly committed and enormously skilled advocate in their corner.

Premier Defense Representation Available Nationwide

No matter your school program, level, or location, national school discipline defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team are available for your aggressive and effective defense of college or university misconduct charges. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.