LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — A former Liberty University employee who used to investigate sexual assaults and rapes on campus is now suing the university, saying her supervisors discriminated against her and a student.
"As someone who loved my position working with students at Liberty, it saddens me it came to this," Valerie Dufort said. "And yet, our motto at Title IX was 'Speak Up.'”
According to the lawsuit filed on Oct. 21, 2021, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia Lynchburg Division, Valerie Dufort was an investigator at Liberty University’s Office of Equity and Compliance.
During her employment as an Investigator, she was subjected to a rampant culture of retaliation for her efforts to remedy discrimination faced by minority students and employees at the University.
According to Liberty University's website, its Office of Equity and Compliance is tasked with responding to reports of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, "with measures designed to eliminate such misconduct, prevent its recurrence, and remedy any adverse effects of the misconduct on individuals, members of the campus community, and University-related programs and activities."
The lawsuit claims that in or around April 2019, a male, bisexual student reported that he was physically abused by his girlfriend. After investigating, Dufort said his allegations were credible.
The lawsuit says Dufort advocated for the student to get justice, but the complaint was dismissed because of his...
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