Author Topic: Columbia Student Falsely Accused of Rape Sues  (Read 1131 times)

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Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Columbia Student Falsely Accused of Rape Sues
« on: April 28, 2015, 12:17:26 am »
http://reason.com/blog/2015/04/24/student-accused-of-rape-by-mattress-girl

Quote
Paul Nungesser, the Columbia University student accused of raping fellow student Emma Sulkowicz, is now suing the university for doing nothing to stop Sulkowicz's harassment campaign against him, which he claims "effectively destroyed" his college experience, reputation, and future career prospects.

His lawsuit contains a wealth of new information about the contested sexual assault, including dozens of messages establishing Sulkowicz's sexual "yearning" for Nungesser, which she sent to him both before and after the alleged incident. (Full text of the lawsuit here, courtesy of KC Johnson.)

Sulkowicz and Nungesser initially became friends at Columbia, developing an intimate relationship that involved several sexual encounters and frequent discussions of sex and relationships. Eventually, she accused him of choking, attacking, and anally raping her. Nungesser was cleared by Columbia's sexual assault adjudication process (the police later declined to pursue charges, citing a lack of reasonable suspicion), which prompted Sulkowicz to go public with her claims and start carrying her mattress everywhere she went as a form of protest against what she viewed as a miscarriage of justice. She became something of a spokesperson for rape victims, and was even invited to attend the State of the Union address with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York).

There were reasons to doubt Sulkowicz's claims. Reason contributor Cathy Young outlined some of them in a detailed piece for The Daily Beast. Perhaps most damning for Sulkowicz's credibility are friendly messages she sent him, and continued to send, even after he allegedly raped her.

Now there are more reasons. Many more. The lawsuit contains additional correspondence unreported thus far—much of it crude, although relevant to the incident. Sulkowicz broached several sexual topics with Nungesser: she talked to him about whether her boyfriend was using protection (with her, and with the other women he was sleeping with at the time), she asked Nungesser whether he was dating or sleeping with anyone, and she implied an interest in anal sex (she texted him “fuck me in the butt”). After Nungesser and Sulkowicz began sleeping together, the lawsuit asserts that Sulkowicz “asked Paul to engage in anal sex with her.”

None of that proves one way or another whether Sulkowicz consented to sex on the evening that he allegedly raped her, of course. It’s possible that Sulkowicz withdrew her consent and Nungesser continued—in brutal, violent fashion. But taken together, the messages she continued to send him even after he allegedly attacked her—as well as some of her demonstrably false assertions, including that she never brought up anal sex with him—certainly look bad for her.

But Nungesser’s lawsuit isn’t against Sulkowicz—it’s against the university, for first failing to protect him from her smear campaign, and then turning “into an active supporter” of it. (The Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow explains why Nungesser isn’t suing Sulkowicz here.) Of particular importance is the fact that Sulkowicz transformed her rape allegation and subsequent activist efforts into an art project for Columbia course credit. Jon Kessler, the university professor who signed off on the “Mattress Project,” is one of the defendants, along with Columbia President Lee Bollinger, the trustees, and the university itself.

What really pisses me off is that I actually believed this girl's story at first.  I honestly feel like my trust was betrayed. 

And now victim blamers and rape apologists have more arrows in their quivers.  This whole situation is fucking atrocious.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2015, 12:19:18 am by Ultimate Paragon »