Chadron State Settles Title IX Lawsuit for $900K
The Title IX lawsuit claimed Chadron State failed to investigate a student’s abuse by her boyfriend, which led to her committing suicide.
Lincoln, Nebraska — The family of Fatima Lissette Larios will be paid $900,000 by the Nebraska State College System to settle two Title IX lawsuits that claimed Chadron State College’s alleged inaction in Larios’ dating violence case led to her dying by suicide in 2015.
The lawsuits said Larios was beaten and emotionally abused by her boyfriend for months, reports the Lincoln Journal Star. The abuse also involved violent arguments in an on-campus dorm room that were heard by others. Additionally, Larios, who played on the school’s softball team, exhibited signs of bruising that weren’t related to softball and were noticed by her coaches. They reported their concerns to the college’s athletic director.
Related: Abuse: The Dark Side of Dating on Campus
The athletic director then reported the coaches’ observations to Chadron State’s Title IX office for investigation. The Title IX coordinator emailed the school’s sexual violence and harassment policy to the student, inviting her to discuss the matter. Larios also discussed the issues with her coaches, reports the Associated Press.
However, the plaintiffs alleged that Chadron State was “deliberately indifferent to reports of dating violence against Fatima by one of its students.” The family further claimed the school didn’t comply with its own policies and Title IX and didn’t properly respond to the classmate’s reports of Larios being abused by her boyfriend.
Additionally, the family claimed Chardon State didn’t provide Larios with mental health counseling or a victim’s advocate, according to the Bleacher Report.
Terms of the agreement also included the school conducting annual suicide training to faculty, staff and students for ten years, as well as hiring a consultant to review its Title IX policies and procedures every year for the next three years, reports the Lincoln Journal Star.
Another part of the agreement includes Chadron State establishing the “Fatima Larios Spirit Scholarship” that will provide financial aid to members of the school’s softball team over the next decade.
The financial settlement will be paid through the school’s insurance. It stipulated that the Nebraska State College System denied any liability for Larios’ suicide.
If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org for additional information.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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“Chadron” is misspelled numerous times, including the title.
Thank you for catching that Carey. The article has been updated.