The 36 Hour Appeal

We represented a student who hadn’t told his parents he was accused of sexual assault, assuming that because he hadn’t done it, he wouldn’t be found responsible by his school. He was found responsible and expelled. His parents hired us 36 hours before his appeal was due. We quickly read the file and worked with him on the appeal, which pointed out serious flaws in the investigation and in the school’s process. As a result of our appeal, not only did the school reverse the finding and vacate the expulsion, they directed that a new investigator do a new investigation—after which he was completely exonerated. After seeing the second investigator’s report, the accuser didn’t even appeal the exoneration.