Baylor University Found Negligent in Title IX Lawsuit
Jury decision marks conclusion of long-running Title IX litigation against Baylor University, asserting negligence in handling a 2014 abuse case involving a football player.
- The jury found Baylor University liable in a Title IX lawsuit filed by Dolores Lozano, a former student, who accused the university of mishandling her reports of abuse by a football player, Devin Chafin, in 2014.
- The court concluded that Baylor University was negligent in its response to several domestic violence reports made by Lozano and thus violated her rights under Title IX, a federal civil rights law.
- Evidence presented during the trial suggested that Baylor allowed the football team to internally address previous complaints against Chafin, including drug use and possession of alcohol. This is consistent with a report compiled by the law firm Pepper Hamilton in 2016, which concluded that the football program operated a separate system of punishment for its players.
- The jury ruled in favor of Lozano, awarding her $270,000 - $50,000 more than the range her attorney had requested - for Baylor's negligence in failing to take measures to prevent violence against her.
- Former head coach Art Briles and former athletic director Ian McCaw, originally defendants in the lawsuit, were dismissed from the case during the trial. They testified to their lack of training in Title IX duties until after Lozano graduated, which the plaintiff's attorneys argued shows Baylor's negligence.
- Lozano's case marks the conclusion of all Baylor-related litigation from 2015 and 2016 during a period of scandal at the university involving assault allegations against football players. In a prior case, Baylor settled a lawsuit from 15 other women alleging sexual assault at the university.