Stony Brook Alumni Says if You Are Sexually Assaulted on Campus- Seek Outside Help, Don’t Go To Campus Police

Sexual Assault on College Campuses

We’re following up on an article we published last month about a former Stony Brook University student who says she was sexually assaulted on campus in January of 2014. At the time of our article, the Westchester woman had not been named and was waiting for an appeal. We have now learned her name is Sarah Tubbs and that the original panel upheld the same verdict and found the defendant not guilty. We hold firm to our belief that the alumni did not receive a fair investigation or a proper day in court. Sarah Tubbs, a 2014 graduate of Stony Brook University, sought both resources and action from the university after an alleged assault on campus. Instead, Tubbs says she was met with hostility from campus officials and forced to prosecute her own attacker during a hearing, despite having PTSD from the attack. She is now suing the university and her alleged perpetrator.

I’m still in disbelief that the only choices the university gave her were to use a university appointed prosecutor (not necessarily even a lawyer) or herself. Especially since she says she is suffering from PTSD. She claims she was discouraged from going to off campus police and encouraged to rely on university police. Terrible! It certainly seems they did a miserable job. How is that protecting her rights and giving her support?  It’s not.

If You Were Sexually Assaulted at a College or University You Should Report it to Local Police and Seek Legal Council

In an interview with News 12, Ms. Tubbs urges anyone who is assaulted at a university, college or school to file a report with outside police and not go to university police. Tubbs filed a lawsuit in federal court in White Plains in January.The suit claims the university violated federal civil-rights guidelines for adjudicating sexual-misconduct cases, and asks for attorney’s fees and undetermined monetary damages. The first court date is scheduled March 25, 2015.

If you have been sexually assaulted at a NY university, seek legal advice from a Sexual Assault Lawyer right away. Don’t wait for the school to finish an investigation. Call us at 516-217-9097 today.

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