Elmira College sued under Adult Survivors Act for alleged 2000 rape of student by 2 men

A former Elmira College student and her husband are suing the college, along with a former EC hockey player and his brother, for a rape they say occurred in June 2000 at a party hosted by the hockey team.

The plaintiffs, known in court filings as Jane and John Doe, filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Chemung County under New York's Adult Survivors Act.

The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022, created a one-year window of opportunity for survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred.

The plaintiffs hired the New York City-based law firm of Andrew M. Stengel to represent them in the suit, which was filed before the Nov. 24 deadline passed.

What the Elmira College lawsuit alleges

Jane Doe was an undergraduate student at Elmira College in 2000, according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Katherine Mayo.

During that timeframe, Andrei Krivokrasov was also a student and was a member of the Elmira College hockey team, and his older brother Sergei Krivokrasov was a professional hockey player with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League, the court document stated.

The lawsuit claims in May 2000, Elmira College welcomed Sergei Krivokrasov to campus and allowed him to stay overnight in campus housing despite his publicly known history of violently assaulting women.

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Around June 1, 2000, the brothers raped Jane Doe during Sergei's visit at a party attended by members of the Elmira College hockey team, the lawsuit alleges.

The legal action contends Elmira College was aware students were regularly overserved alcohol at parties hosted by members of the hockey team, and was thus negligent toward its obligation to provide a safe environment for students.

Read the full lawsuit document here.

What the survivors are seeking and why

As a result of the events of June 2000 outlined in the court documents, Jane Doe suffered severe physical, mental and emotional distress, the lawsuit contends.

The trauma of the experience impaired her ability to provide her husband with love, companionship, affection, and other vital aspects of the connection between spouses, as well as inhibited her ability to engage in sexual relations with John Doe, the lawsuit alleges.

As a result, the plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial to decide the matter, and are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, interest, and attorney fees from Elmira College and the other defendants, along with any other relief the court deems just and proper.

What the parties have to say about the Elmira College lawsuit

Mayo, who is representing Jane and John Doe in their legal action against the college and the other defendants, said the lawsuit wouldn't have been possible without passage of the state legislation.

"We are grateful for the Adult Survivors Act and the opportunity to hold sexual predators and the institutions that fail their victims accountable for their crimes and egregious torts, especially those institutions charged with housing and educating our youth," Mayo said.

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Elmira College officials said they can't comment on specifics of the case since it is pending litigation of an alleged incident from two decades ago, and the accuser is anonymous, but added the college has strict policies regarding student safety.

"Elmira College takes any allegation of this nature seriously and will cooperate fully with the legal process to ensure a thorough and fair examination of the allegations," the college said in a statement. "The college remains committed to following Title IX regulations, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy against sexual assault, and ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all members of the EC community."

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira College sued for alleged 2000 campus rape of student