Lawsuit: School didn’t act quickly on sex assault reports

WASHINGTON – Five current and former Howard University students are alleging in a federal lawsuit that the school didn’t respond quickly and equitably to female students’ sexual assault reports.

News outlets report that in the suit filed Wednesday, plaintiffs accuse the historically black college in Washington of “discriminatory and retaliatory response to multiple complaints of sexual assault and harassment.”

According to the lawsuit, one woman reported to a school official that a male student raped her last year. She later connected with a second woman who said she reported that the same person raped her in 2015. No arrests have been made in either case.

Howard said in a statement that it takes such allegations “very seriously” but it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.