Have You Been Accused of Campus Sexual Assault by Your University?

Our Campus Sexual Assault Lawyers Protect Your Rights and Maximize Your Defense

New Haven criminal defense lawyer Norm Pattis and The Pattis & Associates, LLC Law Firm campus sexual assault defense team have the extensive experience and investigative resources that university and college students need to defend themselves in Title IX hearings and criminal proceedings.

• Secured groundbreaking Not Guilty verdict in 2018 Yale student rape case
  • Exceptional track record in high-conflict felony and misdemeanor cases
• Demand all opposing evidence and police reports
• Investigate and expose inconsistent witness statements
• Uncover and attack every weakness in the accuser’s case
  • Establish alternate theories to secure reasonable doubt
  • Seek exclusion of improper evidence
  • Unearth all civil rights violations
  • Negotiate for complete dismissal of charges

Our national reputation for achieving Not Guilty verdicts forces prosecutors to reevaluate their case against you -  maximizing your chances of avoiding criminal conviction.

Why are Campus Sexual Assault Accusations So Dangerous?

Campus sexual assault allegations are scary stuff - a parent’s worst nightmare. Students facing university sexual misconduct allegations, even for non-criminal activity, are up against some serious procedural biases that could easily overlook your constitutional rights.

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, university campus rape and sexual assault are considered forms of sex discrimination. Because the U.S. Department of Education can sue universities and cut their federal funding for Title IX violations, colleges aren’t interested in getting to the truth. They are interested in protecting themselves.

This means campus discipline procedures are incredibly aggressive and don’t offer the same protections as criminal justice system procedures.

• Automatic presumption of guilty until proven innocent
• No right to a public hearing
• No right to a complete private hearing record
• No right to impartial judge or jury – campus proceedings use potentially biased students and administrators
• No right to review the evidence against you
• No right to have an attorney confront or cross-examine the accuser
• No right to have an attorney confront or cross-examine opposing witnesses
• No right to call supporting witnesses
• No right to have counsel argue on your behalf (you must speak for yourself)
• No automatic right to appeal

Your accuser is automatically a “victim” and YOU have the burden to prove your innocence.

A campus rape accuser doesn’t have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Campus Title IX proceedings require only that the college panel believes her just a little more than they believe you – on a mere preponderance of the evidence (the lowest possible burden of proof).

Mere accusations of campus rape or sexual assault could irreparably damage your academic and professional future. With zero evidence of guilt, your university can evict you from campus housing, withdraw you from classes, athletic programs and other extracurriculars, suspend you from campus, or permanently expel you.

If your college campus panel finds you guilty, you are facing suspension, expulsion, permanent damage to your transcript, difficulty with admissions to other colleges and graduate programs, and challenges gaining employment.

A criminal sexual assault conviction can mean jail time (up to 20 years), sex offender probation (restricting internet use, travel and contact with minors), tens of thousands of dollars in fines, and, more importantly, mandatory public sex offender registration (which can damage your ability to get housing, employment, child custody and other benefits for years into the future).

But despite a deck stacked heavily against you, you CAN successfully defend your campus sexual assault case.

If you’re intent on fighting back - and WINNING - you need to immediately hire an experienced campus sexual assault defense lawyer willing to shield your rights and future against uncompromising opposition and #MeToo movement controversy.

Norm Pattis and the Pattis & Associates, LLC Law Firm help New England college students defend themselves in Title IX hearings and criminal proceedings.

We represent students at universities in New Haven, Connecticut, Middletown, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Amherst, Cambridge, Providence, Rhode Island, Hartford, Princeton, New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania including:

• Yale University
• Wesleyan University
• Williams College
• Amherst College
• Harvard University
• MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Brown University
• University of Connecticut
• Princeton University
• NYU – New York University
• Columbia University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Trinity College

Accused of Sexual Assault on a College or University Campus?

Call Us 24/7 for a no-cost, confidential discussion with a campus sexual assault lawyer.

203.393.3017 OR CONNECT ONLINE

What is Campus Sexual Assault?

College campuses are a treacherous place for today’s young men. An accusation of rape is one of the most frightening things a student and his parents will ever face.

And its unfortunately very common. According to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, up to 90% of campus sexual assault accusations are unfounded and “fall into the category of we were both drunk, we broke up, and six months later I found myself under a Title IX investigation because she just decided that our last sleeping together was not quite right.”

With easy access to copious amounts of alcohol and the freedom of being away from home, it’s easy to fall into the trap. College students get drunk, have one-night stands and wake up embarrassed or angry the next day. Ex-girlfriends get jealous and want revenge.

University students accused of rape can be charged with first-degree, second-degree, third-degree and / or fourth-degree sexual assault. Different rules apply depending on your state.

• First-Degree Sexual Assault: Compelling someone to have sexual intercourse against their will by use of force or threatening to use force. Includes having sexual intercourse with someone who is unable to consent (mentally incapacitated, intoxicated).
• Second-Degree Sexual Assault: Having sexual intercourse with a person who is impaired and unable to consent because of a mental disability or disease. Includes having sexual intercourse with a student over whom you have authority as a teacher or other activity.
• Third-Degree Sexual Assault: Compelling someone to engage in sexual contact (non-intercourse) against their will by use of force or threatening to use force. Includes sexual contact with someone who is unable to consent (mentally incapacitated, intoxicated).
• Fourth-Degree Sexual Assault: Having sexual contact (non-intercourse) with someone who is unable to give consent (mental incapacity, disease, intoxication), physically impaired, or in a position of authority (student-educator relationship or student-coach relationship).

University campuses function under a “Yes means Yes” doctrine. This means unless you get a written affidavit that your partner is willing and able to consent to every touch, kiss or other sexual act, you could be accused of sexual assault.

Criminal courts will look at “implicit” consent as well, asking how well you two knew each other, how long you knew each other, if you had a sexual past, if anyone was drinking or doing drugs, how much they were drinking, whether they spoke before or after the incident, what they were wearing when they met up, and whether texts, emails, phone calls, social media posts or video surveillance footage suggest consent.

In a nutshell, it comes down to consent. To defend yourself against allegations of campus sexual assault, you must be able to prove that the person was able to consent, and that they did consent.

How to Fight Campus Sexual Assault Accusations

Most college students accused of campus sexual assault will listen to university officials and try to comply. After all, who wants to rock the boat? They will agree to suspension or to be expelled in exchange for the promise that it won’t go on their transcript.

But you have the right to prove your innocence. No one deserves to be labelled a sexual offender when they’ve done nothing wrong. There is Always a Defense.

While it is nearly impossible to battle university administration, preconceived notions and court proceedings alone, a powerful, hard-hitting criminal defense attorney with a solid track record in Title IX hearings can safeguard your rights and make sure your story is heard.

If you or a loved one are accused of university campus sexual assault in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania or New York, a number of defenses may be available.

• Disproving sexual contact
• Proving the existence of consent
• Proving your reasonable belief of consent
• Disproving use of force (or threats to use force)
• Disproving intoxication (or other mental incapacitation) and inability to consent
• Showing motive for sexual assault allegation
• Showing mistaken identification (accuser can’t identify you)
• Arguing insufficient evidence
• Exposing inadmissible evidence
• Showing police or prosecutorial misconduct

Don’t Let Campus Sexual Assault Allegations Damage Your Future.

Call Us 24/7 for a no-cost, confidential discussion with a campus sexual assault lawyer.

203.393.3017 OR CONNECT ONLINE

What to Do If You’re Accused of Campus Sexual Assault

Immediately contact a criminal defense lawyer experienced with Title IX university policies and procedures. Until you speak with a campus sexual assault defense lawyer…

• Don’t talk to university disciplinary officials
• Don’t talk to college administration about the Title IX process
• Don’t talk to police
• Don’t talk to your accuser

To win a case of campus sexual assault, your lawyer must immediately investigate the accusations and gather all available evidence to support your side of the story.

Surveillance camera footage from campus and public places, text messages, emails, social media posts and witness accounts are all crucial to these cases. Save everything.

No One Should Be Deprived of Their Right to Due Process.

Connecticut criminal defense lawyer Norm Pattis and The Pattis & Associates, LLC Law Firm handle campus sexual assault nationwide. The defense team works hard to make sure you get the justice you deserve.

Call Us 24/7 for a no-cost, confidential discussion with a campus sexual assault lawyer.

203.393.3017 OR CONNECT ONLINE