Trial set for 2024 for former St. Norbert College administrator who is suing former student for defamation
Editor's note: The story was updated to correct the year for the trial.
GREEN BAY – A trial is set for next year in a defamation lawsuit between a former St. Norbert College administrator and a former student.
The Rev. Jay Fostner, the college's former vice president for mission and student affairs, is suing Margaret Uselman, a 2017 graduate, accusing her of making false and defamatory statements about him regarding his handling of sexual assault reports on campus. The lawsuit cites statements Uselman made in a widely shared Facebook post from September 2018, as well as in interviews with local media networks, including the Press-Gazette, in 2020.
The statements were made after attention rose about St. Norbert's handling of sexual abuse accusations. In April 2018, more than 100 students signed a letter to the university president asking for more effective Title IX policies and procedures, specifically regarding sexual assault on campus. That fall, a second letter, which Uselman helped write and was signed by around 300 students and alumni, asked the college to investigate Fostner, who they claimed had mishandled sexual assault complaints.
St. Norbert College hired a third-party investigator to look into the allegations. It was the second time in 2018 Fostner had been investigated; earlier that year St. Norbert Abbey hired an outside investigator to look into accusations that he had failed to report inappropriate behavior by staff at Notre Dame Academy in the 1980s. He was cleared of those accusations.
In January 2019, college administrators announced that the third-party review of its handling of sexual assault cases found the college's Title IX policies and programs were strong, but personality conflicts between people and departments at the university needed to be addressed and the role of staff in relation to Title IX needed to be clarified. The full report was not publicly released.
The college faced backlash for not sharing more from the report.
Fostner took a yearlong sabbatical beginning in July 2019. In January 2020, while Fostner was away, the college eliminated his position during a restructuring. Fostner's lawsuit also alleges statements Uselman made to the media for articles about his loss of a job were defamatory.
"Because of these statements, Fostner has and continues to suffer damages, including damage to his reputation and good name, psychological and emotional harm, and the loss of employment opportunities," the lawsuit complaint reads.
Despite the controversy, Fostner was elected to the college's Board of Trustees in 2021. He is currently out on temporary leave, choosing to step down during the duration of the legal case, according to St. Norbert Abbey.
The jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 16-19, 2024 in Brown County Circuit Court.
More: First came sex abuse allegations at the abbey. Then secret payments. Then a suicide.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Trial set for former St. Norbert College administrator defamation suit
