Lena Dunham ‘Raped by a Republican’ Story in Bestseller Collapses Under Scrutiny

I would have sworn this Columbia case had gotten more discussion here, but this is one of the few references to it that I can find.

I remember feeling terrible for her after reading the Times article(s) about her case:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/us/fight-against-sex-crimes-holds-colleges-to-account.html

The person she accused of rape has now filed a lawsuit against Columbia under Title IX, and the Daily News has an editorial today blasting how Columbia handled the case:

That day, Bollinger stated: “We are just not going to tolerate sexual abuse and assault at Columbia” — never mind that his own officials had already found Nungesser not responsible.

Title IX forces schools to investigate campus sexual assault allegations and then to serve as judge and jury in secret proceedings to determine guilt or innocence. What has happened at Columbia demonstrates how ill-equipped colleges and universities are to handle matters that belong strictly to law enforcement.

Columbia indulged Sulkowicz as she attacked a fellow student under cover of free speech. By hauling the school into court, Nungesser can secure the impartial reckoning he deserved, and he has given Sulkowicz the opportunity to have her story weighed by an impartial fact-finder. However that turns out, Columbia’s conduct has been indefensible.

Editorial: Morningside lows at Columbia University - NY Daily News

 

Maybe I could muster some sympathy for Nungesser if he had 't been accused of assault by two other women, as well. Word got around that he was a sexual predator.

 

Just getting back to this for a second, because after the Jenner thing, it seems to be becoming the thing to say.

I'm not really a Lena Dunham fan. Don't particularly care for Girls. But to suggest she hasn't carved out a celebrity niche for herself is patently ridiculous. She created and stars in an inarguably successful cable series. That qualifies.

I mean, I wouldn't watch the Kardashians on a bet. That doesn't mean I'm going to deny their celebrity.

 

I guess I'd need to know more about those complaints, but the facebook messages included in the lawsuit do not look good for Ms. Sulkawicz:

https://kcjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/nungesser-complaint.pdf

 

Obviously this is his telling, but here's what the suit says about the other two complaints:

39. The first, Jane Doe #1, who was also a member of ADP, filed her complaint against Paul at the end of April or early May 2013, shortly before her graduation. Jane Doe #1 erroneously and wrongfully alleged that a full year prior to her filing (i.e. during the end of her junior year, which was the end of Paul’s freshman year), Paul had grabbed her at a party and tried to kiss her. This allegation was sheer fabrication. Columbia agreed with Paul, ultimately finding him "not responsible" for the alleged "non-consensual sexual contact."’

40. Jane Doe #2, who had been Paul’s girlfriend for several months while they were both freshman (prior to Paul’s sexual intercourse with Emma), was also enticed to file a false report against Paul, alleging sexual misconduct. Jane Doe #2 reported that she had the impression while Paul was her boyfriend, that she could only see him if she had sex with him, and thus she felt obligated to have sex with him. She never alleged physical coercion, violence, or rape. She filed her complaint at the same time as Jane Doe #1. Columbia found a lack of "sufficient information to indicate that reasonable suspicion exists" of any alleged "intimate partner violence" and thus terminated Jane Doe # 2’s investigation without any need for a hearing.