The accused student claims the university did nothing to protect him and made his life a living hell.

The Associated Press reports.

University Defends Mattress-Carrying Project Against Lawsuit

Citing the importance of the First Amendment, Columbia University asked a judge Friday to reject a student’s lawsuit alleging the school failed to protect him after a onetime friend called him a “serial rapist” and carried a mattress around campus to protest sexual abuse.

The New York City university said in a federal court filing that it was a “fatal flaw” in Paul Nungesser’s lawsuit that he failed to sufficiently claim intentional gender discrimination by Columbia. His lawsuit alleged that the university’s actions caused him to face gender discrimination and defamation during the last school year and damaged his job prospects.

The German citizen sued the university this year, saying it effectively sponsored attacks against him by letting Emma Sulkowicz obtain class credit with a mattress-toting project that was designed to draw attention to her claims against him for a year leading up to commencement proceedings. The lawsuit said Sulkowicz has repeatedly and publicly called him a “serial rapist,” resulting in national and international media attention. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages.


 
 0 
 
 0