New York Criminal Lawyer Blog
When, as a college student, you are accused of violating a Title IX policy or the Code of Conduct of your respective university, both your academic career and otherwise clean criminal record are often put in harm’s way. Whether or not you are arrested by the NYPD or local police department, accused of a crime or allegedly committed a form of sexual or gender-based misconduct or harassment, the consequences are quite real even if your case never reaches a technical disciplinary hearing. What is not real, however, is that every claim of wrongdoing is true and accurate. While the legal standard employed by Title IX Coordinators, the Dean of Students, or any administrative body at a New York City or New York State college or university is a preponderance of the evidence – quite lower than the criminal threshold of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and devoid of the due process rights we all take for granted – that does not mean you cannot successfully challenge a complaint. In fact, having successfully represented student accusers and the accused in college Title IX, Student Misconduct Hearings, Disciplinary Hearings and other infractions at universities such as NYU, Fordham, CUNY, SUNY Binghamton, Columbia and others, Saland Law PC’s Title IX counsel recognize there are strategic avenues to pursue should you find yourself on either side of the law. In fact, a recent and successful resolution of multiple alleged Title IX violations against a student at a large New York City university is a testament to the advocacy of Saland Law PC’s Title IX attorneys.
Our client, a graduating senior at a respected New York City university, found himself as the target and subject of a Title IX investigation. Months away from receiving his diploma, two students alleged that your client harassed them and created a hostile environment by communicating inappropriately through emails and texts as well was making sexually charged advances respectively. Recognizing the significance of an adverse finding and maintaining that the claims were not accurate, our lawyers immediately reached out to the Title IX Coordinator to address the claimed violations. After numerous meetings, conversations and emails with school administrators to both challenge the veracity of both student’s assertions and to explain our client’s views as to what, if anything, transpired and why, the college ultimately agreed to close the Title IX investigation involving our client’s gender-based harassment sexual misconduct without any permanent record on our client’s transcript. In stead of suspending our client or expelling him, our client graduated timely. Furthermore, not only did our guidance protect our client’s academic status, Saland Law PC facilitated a meeting with an NYPD detective who received a criminal complaint from one of the students. Upon the detective’s examination of the evidence, the NYPD made a determined not to arrest our client and closed the non-case. Ultimately, despite our client’s initial concerns, albeit quite legitimate ones, our client’s future is secure and bright.
To educate yourself about Student Disciplinary Hearings, Title IX laws and procedures, Student Misconduct rules, and Code of Conduct matters colleges and universities in New York from Pace, Baruch, Columbia and NYU to Touro, Binghamton, St. Johns and Fordham, read the information provided in the links.
Saland Law PC, a New York Title IX law firm assisting victims and defendants, represents students in all criminal and related matters throughout New York City, the Hudson Valley and many other counties, towns and municipalities. Before establishing the law practice, Saland Law PC’s two founding attorneys served as Manhattan prosecutors.