Former TU Student Claims School Didn't Take Sexual Assault Report Seriously

Ten days before kickoff, a high-profile TU football player is the reason the University is being sued.

A former student said the player raped her and a new lawsuit claims the University never took her seriously.

The university said as soon as the incident was reported it launched an investigation and worked with Tulsa police, but the lawsuit claims the athlete should have never been allowed on campus in the first place.

University Of Tulsa Statement

Patrick Swilling, Jr. came to the University of Tulsa to play basketball in 2012. He was recruited from the College of Southern Idaho where, according to a lawsuit, he raped a female student.

Though no charges were ever filed, the suit claims TU had easy access to information about the investigation, but brought Swilling to Tulsa anyway and failed to further look into the allegations.

4/29/2014 Related Story: DA Says No Charges Filed Against Tulsa Basketball Player Swilling Jr.

The former TU student who filed the lawsuit claims Swilling raped her in January, a claim she took to the Tulsa Police Department and campus security.

The suit says TPD identified two other women who claimed Swilling sexually assaulted them, one of which claimed she filed a report with TU security, but there was never an investigation.

The suit says the university violated Title IX by scheduling a disciplinary hearing without a proper investigation first.

The former student who filed the suit said TU's investigation only consisted of looking into her own sexual history but not Swilling's.

Swilling's attorney, Corbin Brewster, said the bottom line is TU cleared Swilling of violating school policies and The Tulsa County District Attorney declined to press charges.

“When Mr. Swilling was cleared in the spring, his main goal was to move on with his life, to finish his degree and to play football for college and it's unfortunate that he's having to re-live and face the same allegations that he was cleared on again,” Brewster said.

The lawsuit says the alleged victim was so scared of passing Swilling on campus she withdrew from classes.