If you're a student and you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being accused of sexually assaulting another student at your college or university, you need to take the necessary precautions. Do not speak to anyone before taking these precautions. Let your parents and your family know what's going on. Do not speak to your friends, do not speak to others, do not speak to the school. School will often invite a meeting or an interview without providing the requisite notice, without letting an accused student know just what's at stake in a Title IX case. So much is, unfortunately, at stake and so much needs to be done throughout a Title IX case but especially in the early stages to make sure that an accused student's interests and rights are protected.
Title IX may be well intended, but due to an unfortunate dynamic behind Title IX, a complainants interests are often aligned with the school. The complaint is also known as the accuser. The respondent's interest, the accused that is, their interests are considered last, if at all. That's why it's critically important that you do not take any steps without taking the necessary precautions. Lock down your social media, do not talk to friends, let your family know what's going on, let your parents know what's going on. Have an experienced attorney-adviser in your corner from the start. It's critical in terms of trying to achieve a favorable outcome in a Title IX case.
