EMU to release report on handling of sexual assault cases amid federal lawsuits

Eastern Michigan University will release the results of an investigation into the school's handling of Title IX cases.

EMU hired Cozen O'Connor, a law firm, in Sept. 2020 to review how the school responded to sexual assault allegations against three former students, all of whom are facing criminal charges.

"Eastern Michigan University remains committed to full transparency," the school said in a news release. "The University is releasing the report in its entirety; no material has been omitted, redacted, or withheld at the University’s request."

The report will be released at 2:15 p.m. on the university's website.

The school is also named in federal lawsuits that claim EMU covered up and was deliberately indifferent to sexual assaults.

At the time the Cozen O'Connor inquiry started, the Free Press was aware of three criminal cases against former students. One of the men is facing accusations from nine women in court and the other two are accused of gang rapes. One became a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy.

All three were associated with fraternities. Alleged assaults are said to have taken place at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, among others. In February 2022, a judge issued a preliminary injunction that bans the fraternity from throwing parties as part of a local lawsuit that alleges the fraternity covered up sexual assaults and protected predators.

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Current federal lawsuits against the school accuse EMU officials of looking the other way when it comes to sexual misconduct allegations.

Darcie Moran contributed.

Contact Emma Stein: estein@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @_emmastein.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EMU to release report on handling of sex assault cases