A former student is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages from Johns Hopkins University, saying the school didn't do enough to prevent her from being raped in her McCoy Hall dormitory room two years ago.
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, charges that the University was negligent in not providing adequate security to prevent the alleged assault.
The incident occurred early in the morning of Sept. 24, 2001, after a school-sponsored event at the 723 Club in Fells Point, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the News-Letter. At approximately 1:30 a.m., after waiting half an hour for a University shuttle back to campus, the student accepted a ride home from four men not affiliated with the University, according to the court document. After much coaxing by the four men, the student allowed them to accompany her to her dorm room where three of the men repeatedly raped and sodomized her, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit claims the University was negligent because the security officer in the McCoy lobby failed to check the men's identification or to require them to sign a sign-in sheet. Such actions would have prevented the sexual assault of the then 18-year-old student, the lawsuit charges.
As of last night, University officials had not seen the lawsuit.
"We have not been legally served with the lawsuit and we haven't seen it," University spokesman Dennis O'Shea said last night.
At the time of the alleged incident, University policy allowed guests access to the residence halls if a student accompanied them, O'Shea said. Currently, residents remain free to bring guests into Wolman or McCoy Hall, and there is a voluntary sign-in sheet, said Director of Security Ronald Mullen. If a student accompanies guests, security guards do not check their identification, he added.
Baltimore City Police Officer Nicole Monroe confirmed that a rape was reported to the Baltimore Police on Sept. 24, 2001 but would not confirm whether the incident was the one alleged in the lawsuit. Campus Security would not confirm yesterday that a rape was reported on that date, and there are no reported forcible sex offenses in their 2001 report.
Joanne Suder, the former student's lawyer, said the incident was reported in a timely matter to the police. Asked if the incident was reported to Johns Hopkins Security, Suder said, "Absolutely, it was."
When asked why the student waited until now to file suit, Suder said, "The victim has three years [to file a complaint]. Many victims of violent crime choose to wait until the "nth' hour. She did not."
The student withdrew from the University after the 2001-2002 academic year, Suder said.
Said Suder of filing the lawsuit: "The interest is for the safety of students. The worst nightmare of any student ... is to be repeatedly raped by three strangers over the course of hours."
--Staff Writer Jeremiah Crim contributed to this report.
