MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — NCHERM Group partners Brett A. Sokolow and W. Scott Lewis are serving as expert witnesses for the woman who says Florida State University ignored her allegations of rape against another student. The incident, dating back to December 2012, involves allegations of a rape by Heisman Trophy winning FSU quarterback, Jameis Winston. FSU ignored notice of the assault and has only now — almost two years later — decided to hold a hearing under its Code of Conduct to determine whether Winston violated university policy by committing a sexual assault. As experts on campus conduct processes, The NCHERM Group determined that it was an appropriate time to announce the involvement of Sokolow and Lewis as experts for the victim.
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NCHERM Group President and CEO, Sokolow, commented, "Much of our work on behalf of victims takes place quietly and behind the scenes, out of concern for the confidentiality of the victim. But this case already has a national profile, and though we have been engaged on the case since last April, we hope that lending our weight to the matter publicly, now, will encourage FSU to handle the upcoming hearing carefully and by the book." Sokolow has provided substantial training material to the plaintiff's legal team in the hopes that it will be used to train the retired judge who FSU has commissioned to hear the campus case. Sokolow continued, "The judge is mandated by federal law to receive substantive training in preparation for this hearing. A campus case is not like a criminal case, and specialized training is needed for complex campus sexual misconduct cases. Our training materials are the gold standard in the field, and will help him to get it right."
Those who follow the work of The NCHERM Group know that it is involved in many of the nation's highest profile campus sexual misconduct cases. The Group's role as expert witnesses requires it to be non-partisan, taking cases on the merits without choosing sides, despite the fact that the Group is also one of the nation's largest higher-education specific law practices, representing more than 60 colleges and universities as legal counsel.
Partner Lewis added, "We have served as experts in cases defending colleges and school districts and in cases where students have sued colleges and school districts. Whether assisting the victim, the accused, or the schools, we vet each case carefully to assure we're taking the side we think is right." He continued, "Our roles as experts would be compromised if we only ever took one side or the other. Sometimes, schools do it right and sometimes they don't. If they did it poorly, we expect that they would fix the problem or make it right. If they don't, they – like their students when they do the wrong thing – should be accountable."
The crucial role played by The NCHERM Group in federal and state lawsuits helps to establish the standard of care, and offers expert opinions on whether the defendant has met that standard. The NCHERM Group tracks and helps to establish the industry standards and customs that form the basis of Title IX, negligence and security-related litigation. Its consultants are currently serving as expert witnesses in more than twenty state and federal cases.
The NCHERM Group, LLC has industry-leading expertise in the prevention and response to campus and school sexual violence, and has been leading schools and colleges toward Title IX compliance for more than seventeen years. The Group's model affirmative consent-based campus sexual misconduct policies are in place on more than 800 college and university campuses. Through the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA), which it manages, the firm's partners have trained more than 5,000 campus Title IX Coordinators and civil rights investigators since 2011. The firm has been consulted by, and provided intellectual property to, the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault and is a frequent negotiator on behalf of colleges and schools with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights in its Title IX investigations.
For more information, contact Kate Halligan, Vice President for Client Relations; Email; 610-579-3725