Students accused of sexual misconduct—including sexual harassment or sexual assault—on a college or university campus in Oregon can expect the federal civil rights law Title IX to become implicated in their case. This is because Title IX, which applies to any school in Oregon that accepts federal funding, guarantees equal access to higher education regardless of one's gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. In practice, this pressures schools into speedy and rigorous determinations of guilt in sexual misconduct cases.
If you are the one being accused, this pressure can make it seem like your school is trying to find you guilty, and makes the ability to appeal the outcome of your Title IX case crucial.
Appealing Title IX Cases in Oregon
If you have been found in violation of Title IX's prohibition against sexual misconduct on campus, you have a right to appeal the determination, the sanction, or both. Utilizing this chance to defend yourself against the allegations can be crucial if you want to protect your academic integrity and professional future.
The Four Grounds for Appealing a Title IX Case
However, appealing a Title IX case is not something that can always happen. Instead, there are generally four accepted grounds for an appeal:
- There is new evidence in your case. If new evidence concerning your case has come to light that could not have been found, earlier, then it can be the basis for an appeal of the outcome of your Title IX case.
- There were significant procedural mistakes. Colleges and universities in Oregon lay out the procedure for how Title IX cases are investigated, heard, and penalized. However, just because they wrote the rules does not mean that they always follow them. If they deviated from their set procedures and that deviation substantially impacted the outcome of your case, it can form the grounds for an appeal.
- There were due process violations. Title IX allegations are serious. Therefore, you have a due process right to be heard and defend yourself. If your school prevents this from happening—something that is not uncommon, given how poorly designed the hearing systems typically are for such severe accusations—it can be the basis for an appeal.
- The penalty is too harsh for the violation. If you only want to appeal the sanction you received, then you can lodge an appeal on the grounds that the penalty you are receiving is unduly harsh for the violation you were found to have committed.
Oregon Title IX Appeals Advisor Joseph D. Lento
Joseph D. Lento is an attorney who defends students against disciplinary actions, including Title IX cases. Because these Title IX cases are especially problematic and carry such severe penalties that can impact your future for years down the road, attorney Lento advises students in Oregon how to lodge a proper appeal of an adverse Title IX outcome. Contact him online or at 888-535-3686 for the assistance you need to maximize your odds of success and defend your interests and professional future against these baseless accusations of sexual misconduct.
- Blue Mountain Community College
- Central Oregon Community College
- Chemeketa Community College
- Clackamas Community College
- Clatsop Community College
- Columbia Gorge Community College
- Concordia University Portland
- Corban University
- DeVry University Oregon
- Eastern Oregon University
- Everest College Portland
- George Fox University
- Heald College Portland
- ITT Technical Institute Portland
- Klamath Community College
- Lane Community College
- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Portland
- Lewis & Clark College
- Linfield College McMinnville Campus
- Linn Benton Community College
- Marylhurst University
- Mount Angel Seminary
- Mt Hood Community College
- Multnomah University
- New Hope Christian College
- Northwest Christian University
- Oregon Coast Community College
- Oregon College of Art and Craft
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- Oregon State University
- Pacific Northwest College of Art
- Pacific University
- Pioneer Pacific College
- Portland Community College
- Portland State University
- Reed College
- Rogue Community College
- Sanford Brown College Portland
- Southern Oregon University
- Southwestern Oregon Community College
- The Art Institute of Portland
- Tillamook Bay Community College
- Treasure Valley Community College
- Umpqua Community College
- University of Oregon
- University of Phoenix Oregon Campus
- University of Portland
- University of Western States
- Warner Pacific College
- Western Oregon University
- Willamette 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 Oregon and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected - Contact National Title IX attorney Joseph D. Lento today.
