VRLC Files Lawsuit Against the Department of Education

On June 10, 2020, Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) along with co-plaintiffs Equal Rights Advocates, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, and Legal Voice filed a lawsuit against Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education, challenging the new Title IX rules released last month. This lawsuit is critical for the K-12 and campus sexual assault survivors that we serve in Massachusetts and in Oregon, as well as survivors in every state. We are filing this lawsuit to ensure survivors are not silenced and can safely access their education. Plaintiffs are represented by the National Women’s Law Center along with co-counsel Morrison & Foerster LLP.

“Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education are using a global pandemic to camouflage the release of the final Title IX regulations to ensure every step of the reporting and adjudication process presents barriers for victims of sexual assault. What we know for sure is that Secretary DeVos’s new rules will lead to a decrease in campus sexual assault reports. Victims will have little to gain by coming forward, especially students who are at the greatest risk for sexual violence – Black women, Native Women and LGTBQI survivors. Once again the Department of Education attempts to silence victims and VRLC responds with a lawsuit to fight for the rights of student survivors.” – Stacy Malone, Executive Director of Victim Rights Law Center

Click here for the full press release from the National Women’s Law Center.