Penn State student from Pittsburgh area sues university over handling of rape case, claims of racial discrimination

A Penn State student from the Pittsburgh area studying in State College is suing the university because of the way it handled an investigation into her alleged rape.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Williamsport, also accuses two professors of mistreating her because she’s black.

The woman alleged she was raped on Jan. 15, 2017. The suit faults Penn State’s handling of the rape case and alleges the university violated federal law in its response to her report.

The Tribune-Review doesn’t name victims of sexual assaults.

Penn State doesn’t comment on pending litigation, a spokesman said.

One of the students accused in the assault withdrew before the university’s investigation started, and the second student was cleared after a hearing, according to the lawsuit.

The woman, who is black, also claims she was discriminated against during the fall semester of 2019 because of her race by an English professor who questioned her choice of racism as a semester-long research project.

She debated the professor, completed the project anyway, and was flunked. She claimed the professor failed her because she filed a complaint against the professor, according to the lawsuit.

In January, the woman began a psychology course and questioned why two white students she compared answers with were given credit for something she wasn’t, according to the lawsuit. She complained to the professor and was advised she could appeal her grade at the end of the semester.

The woman is seeking unspecified monetary and non-monetary damages and removal of the failing grade from her transcripts.