Oregon, Dana Altman sued over alleged sexual assault

A University of Oregon student has filed a Title IX suit against the university and basketball coach Dana Altman due to their handling of an alleged sexual assault case that took place last March and ended in the dismissals of Ducks basketball players Dominic Artis, Brandon Austin and Damyean Dotson.

The victim alleged she “suffered damages and injuries as a result of the UO’s violations of Title IX,” according to The Oregonian, and that they acted with “deliberate indifference” in the particular case of Austin. Austin was suspended from Providence in 2013 for undisclosed reasons, though the Wall Street Journal reported the suspension was due to a sexual assault investigation. Austin then transferred to Oregon, and Altman claimed he did not know the reason for the suspension, saying that there were no character concerns.

However, the suit claims Altman actually did know of the specific allegations leveled against Austin at Providence, and that Austin’s mother admitted that. Moreover, it alleges Oregon put off punishing the players in order to “win basketball games.” The victim said in the suit that this kind of “indifference” put her at significant risk, according to The Oregonian.

“Upon information and belief, Altman and other UO personnel were fully aware of the basis for Austin’s season-long suspension,” it says. “In fact, Austin’s mother, when asked about what the UO coaches knew, said, ‘We told them everything. They knew everything.’”

The police report documents a brutal assault and alleges a gang rape by the three players, who have been barred from campus for at least four years. One of the lawyers for the alleged victim, John Clune, also represented the alleged victim in the Jameis Winston case. The full filing in the Oregon case is below.