Paul Nungesser, the Columbia University student accused of raping fellow student Emma Sulkowicz, is now suing the university for doing nothing to stop Sulkowicz’s harassment campaign against him, which he claims “effectively destroyed” his college experience, reputation, and future career prospects.
His lawsuit contains a wealth of new information about the contested sexual assault, including dozens of messages establishing Sulkowicz’s sexual “yearning” for Nungesser, which she sent to him both before and after the alleged incident. (Full text of the lawsuit here, courtesy of KC Johnson.)
Sulkowicz and Nungesser initially became friends at Columbia, developing an intimate relationship that involved several sexual encounters and frequent discussions of sex and relationships. Eventually, she accused him of choking, attacking, and anally raping her. Nungesser was cleared by Columbia’s sexual assault adjudication process (the police later declined to pursue charges, citing a lack of probable suspicion), which prompted Sulkowicz to go public with her claims and start carrying her mattress everywhere she went as a form of protest against what she viewed as a miscarriage of justice. She became something of a spokesperson for rape victims, and was even invited to attend the State of the Union address with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York).
There were reasons to doubt Sulkowicz’s claims. Reason contributor Cathy Young outlined some of them in a detailed piece for The Daily Beast. Perhaps most damning for Sulkowicz’s credibility are friendly messages she sent him, and continued to send, even after he allegedly raped her.
Now there are more reasons. Many more. The lawsuit contains additional correspondence unreported thus far—much of it crude, although relevant to the incident. Sulkowicz broached several sexual topics with Nungesser: she talked to him about whether her boyfriend was using protection (with her, and with the other women he was sleeping with at the time), she asked Nungesser whether he was dating or sleeping with anyone, and she implied an interest in anal sex (she texted him “fuck me in the butt”). After Nungesser and Sulkowicz began sleeping together, the lawsuit asserts that Sulkowicz “asked Paul to engage in anal sex with her.”
None of that proves one way or another whether Sulkowicz consented to sex on the evening that he allegedly raped her, of course. It’s possible that Sulkowicz withdrew her consent and Nungesser continued—in brutal, violent fashion. But taken together, the messages she continued to send him even after he allegedly attacked her—as well as some of her demonstrably false assertions, including that she never brought up anal sex with him—certainly look bad for her.
But Nungesser’s lawsuit isn’t against Sulkowicz—it’s against the university, for first failing to protect him from her smear campaign, and then turning “into an active supporter” of it. (The Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow explains why Nungesser isn’t suing Sulkowicz here.) Of particular importance is the fact that Sulkowicz transformed her rape allegation and subsequent activist efforts into an art project for Columbia course credit. Jon Kessler, the university professor who signed off on the “Mattress Project,” is one of the defendants, along with Columbia President Lee Bollinger, the trustees, and the university itself.
According to the lawsuit:
As a result of Defendants’ actions, Paul’s entire social and academic experience at Columbia has suffered tremendously. In adherence to Columbia’s Confidentiality Policy, he did not discuss any of the investigations with any of his classmates. Yet Emma did the exact opposite, gaining support from classmates, professors, the administration, and President Bollinger. Emma has not faced any consequences for breaching the confidentiality policy.
Silenced, and also enduring suspensions and increasing ostracism from his two main social activities (ADP and the Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program (“COOP”)), Paul’s social life crumbled to the point of isolation. Even after being cleared of the outrageous allegation, no serious attempt was ever made by the university to rehabilitate him within those groups. Day-to-day life is unbearably stressful, as Emma and her mattress parade around campus each and every day.
Due to this ostracism, and threats to Paul’s physical safety, University resources such as dorms, libraries, dining halls, and the gym are not reasonably available for Paul’s access. Even attending classes has become problematic, as he has endured harassment and has had his photo taken against his will while in class.
The ordeal has certainly made life a living hell for Nungesser; whether that entitles him to any relief from Columbia, I can’t say.
I can say that those in the media who uncritically re-reported Sulkowicz’s claims and gave credence to her antics should be feeling rather ashamed of themselves. With each new development, this story begins to look more and more like a Rolling Stone job.
I hope he wins and takes the university to the fucking cleaners. I also hope evidence comes out on how truthful her statements were. This entire fiasco smells of bullshit.
Read the lawsuit. There’s like half a page of some of the “I love youu, i loooooveee you i misss youuuuu“ messages Sulkowicz sent to her accused rapist before, during and after her alleged rape on August 27th 2012 that really makes things ??????? ??? ????? what?????
As well as correspondence days after where the accused invites Sulkowicz to a party but insists she bring female friends because of how “bro“ the party looks. All while Sulkowicz whimsically asks for time to bond.
Eventually Nungesser started distancing himself from her. The last message Sulkowicz sent to her alleged rapist weeks before was “I love you and miss you“
At which point, several months later, Emma filed her first gender-based misconduct incident report which included the following:
“he began to choke her, slapped her face, pinned her arms ad-penetrated her anally. She said she had screamed for him to stop, but that he would not. She also stated that “It could take two minutes for it to stop, or he could have strangled me to death.“
However in the course of the investigation, Nungesser was denied the ability to show the above facebook messages that cast her account into doubt. Even without these damning chatlogs, the case against Nungesser was dropped and both were to keep the transgressions of the case confidential, which Sulkowicz eventually disregarded as seen in the public campaign to expel Nungesser and her “Carry that weight” protest. From this is the basis of the lawsuit against the school as the school failed to defend Nungesser and keep up with it’s own rules, permitting Nungesser’s reputation to be destroyed in the process on an international scale.
In subsequent rounds of complaint, Sulkowicz impressed two other students to file similar complaints to bolster her own, both of which being notably erroneous as the internal investigation found. Not to mention the privileges granted to Sulkowicz and the lack of access for support and isolation dealt to Nungesser.
After which, it goes into detail about how evidence supporting Sulkowicz was just hearsay and the supposed choking and violence Sulkowicz experienced and testified would have been noticeable at social events and sports practice she engaged in days after the 27th. She never filed a police report, but did to get Nungesser’s name out in public, but retracted it once the police concluded there was nothing to suggest Nungesser was a rapist and when Nungesser started getting involved directly with police and other authorities.
Sulkowicz continued to publicize her accounts, culminating in her art project which lead to numerous publications all over the world publicizing the situation, and she seemed to relish in the threats people all over the world lobbied against Nungesser. Even so far as to facebook like them
All of which leads into the point of Nungesser suing the university for breaching it’s own misconduct policy
Which was reiterated in Columbia’s new 2014 Gender Based Misconduct Policy
Anti-Retaliation/Anti-Intimidation Policy The University strictly prohibits retaliation against and intimidation of any person because of his or her reporting of an incident of gender-based misconduct or involvement in the University’s response. The University will take strong disciplinary action in response to any retaliation or intimidation. The University will pursue such discipline through the applicable student conduct policy or other disciplinary process and follow the applicable time frames within such policies or processes.
Which was posted in the midst of Sulkowicz’s ongoing protest, demonstrating the University’s disregard to follow it’s own policy guaranteeing safety of it’s students.
This is a good read, and a damning one too. I suggest everyone goes through it.
stuff like this is why i get confused when people take everything at face value. especially when it comes to sexual assault. you need to make an *informed* opinion, as tempting as it is to take a moral highground by immediately believing the accuser
Oh, but false rape accusations never happen.
Women who falsely accuse men of this take away all fucking validity of the women who aren’t lying. I know men that have specifically said “I will almost never believe a woman who said she was raped because so many women lie about it.” And that’s fucked up. Ladies, rape is not a fucking joke. If you’ve actually been raped, say something. If a man wronged you? Move the fuck on. Don’t lie about this shit. You’re ruining it for the women who are telling the truth.