Personal Injury Law

Maryland Residents Are Among Lacrosse Team Plaintiffs Suing Duke University for Handling of High Profile Rape Case

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

38 members of the 2006 Duke Lacrosse team and 9 family members are suing Duke University and the North Carolina city of Durham for their handling of the high profile 2006 rape case that wrongly charged three men with raping a woman.

The plaintiffs say they that they suffered invasion of privacy, emotional damage, and other injuries because the University abandoned them and ignored key evidence showing that the rape charges were fabricated. They are asking for unspecified damages. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

The three teammates who were indicted, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann, are not included in this injury lawsuit. They settled their lawsuit with Duke last year and transferred to other universities to complete their college educations.

The victim, a female stripper, claimed that the men gang raped her in the bathroom. Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann were charged with sexual assault, but the charges were dropped last year. Durham County District Attorney Michael B. Nifong was disbarred for manufacturing and suppressing evidence in the case. Nifong, who has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief, is not a defendant in this lawsuit.

About 20% of the plaintiffs come from Maryland. Both former and current Lacrosse team members are among those suing the University and the city of Durham. The players say that they suffered harassment and experienced hostility during the investigation into the rape case and Duke did nothing to protect them. Traumatic incidents cited included:

? Having protesters surround their homes.
? Being called rapists and racists.
? Becoming the targets of threats and protest marches.
? Imposing disciplinary measures on the team as if they were guilty.
? Canceling the lacrosse team?s season.

Also named as defendants in the case are Duke University President Richard Broadhead, Duke?s medical center, and Durham city officials. The plaintiffs allege that Duke University abandoned the Lacrosse to protect its own image.

In Maryland and Washington D.C., our personal injury law firm represents clients who have sustained any type of serious injury caused by the negligence or carelessness of others.

Other Duke players, parents file lawsuit, Baltimore Sun, February 22, 2008

38 Duke Lacrosse Team Members Unite to Sue Duke University and City of Durham Over Corrupt 2006 Rape Allegations and Investigation, FoxBusiness.com, February 21, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Duke Rape Case

Mcfadyen et al v. Duke University et al, Justia.com

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on February 22, 2008 (boomark / email).