by Dina Lassow, Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center
After five years, Lisa Simpson, a young woman who filed a major sexual harassment suit against the University of Colorado, is finally getting the justice and closure she deserves. The Center participated in the case, and we are very excited about the settlement.
Under the settlement, the university will pay Lisa Simpson $2.5 million, hire a new counselor for its Office of Victim’s Assistance, and appoint an independent, outside Title IX advisor who will be available to all individuals reporting sexual harassment or assault. The advisor will also make recommendations to the university regarding reforms to university programs to prevent future sexual harassment.
For the Center, this is what such legal battles are all about. Not only did Ms. Simpson get long-overdue justice, but the terms of the settlement should make the university a safer place for all its students, and should be a wake-up call for other schools to take claims of sexual harassment seriously.
As we have described before, Ms. Simpson and another student sued the University of Colorado under Title IX, charging that they were raped at a football recruiting party in December 2001. They claimed that the university had ignored many incidents of sexual harassment in its football program over the years.
This historic settlement was reached soon after the entire Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit refused the university’s request that it review the great decision of the court’s panel finding that Ms. Simpson and her co-plaintiff were entitled to present their case to a jury.
We salute Lisa Simpson for her courageous persistence and the university for its willingness to undertake structural reforms of its programs. The settlement is a victory not only for Lisa, but for all students who can take heart from the message of this case: the law means what it says and schools must take the steps necessary to protect their students from sexual harassment and assault.
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