CINCINNATI — Two ballet dancers are suing the University of Cincinnati, accusing the school of mishandling reports of sexual harassment.
A 22-page lawsuit claims UC protected a star male dancer who repeatedly touched female dancers inappropriately during practices and performances.
"This is a lawsuit about whether the University of Cincinnati took adequate steps," attorney Joshua Engel said.
He represents both women. Neither they nor the man are identified in the suit.
The suit claims UC’s College-Conservatory of Music was "deliberately indifferent to the harassment suffered by these women" and subjected the women "to a sexually hostile environment," which the suit says is a violation of Title IX, a law banning discrimination in education programs based on sex.
"At a minimum, they should have removed him from the classes with the students who were alleged victim,” Engel said. “He is innocent until proven guilty, but you have to balance that with the fact that people who are accusing someone of a crime should not be forced to be re-victimized.”
Instead, the suit says one woman was "required to partner with John Doe in class" and told they could "just walk out of class without explaining" if they felt uncomfortable.
The male dancer told school investigators that any inappropriate touching was accidental.
“The young man who is accused of the misconduct was permitted to stay in the school,” Engel said. “He partnered with other students and participated in various performances. He was even at times featured on the web page.”
UC held a hearing with statements from multiple witnesses and found the male dancer was not responsible for alleged misconduct, but the suit says the hearing "contained a number of procedural errors and deficiencies that had the effect of helping John Doe."
The university released a statement, saying in part, “While the university is prohibited from commenting on the specifics of any student matter, the university does take title IX-related complaints seriously as part of our goal for creating a safe campus for all."
Engel and his clients say otherwise.
“The university should take these allegations seriously and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again," Engel said.
Engel says the two women won’t return to UC in the fall. They are seeking other opportunities to pursue their ballet careers.
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