College Student Bias-Motivated Conduct Defense Attorneys
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Case Results
Here are some representative results we’ve achieved for our clients.
Female complainant’s rights, health, and safety protected throughout lengthy proceedings
Our client was sexually assaulted by a male student acquaintance. We became involved to support our client in
getting proper medical treatment, preserving and collecting evidence and witness testimony, and securing
therapeutic support. We helped her understand and navigate the many complex options available to her, including a
criminal complaint, an informal complaint process, a formal complaint process, or doing nothing. We guided her
through the informal process and then the formal process, including interviews with various school and law
enforcement officials, and worked closely with the school to put in place appropriate accommodations ensuring that
all interviews and hearings did not retraumatize her. The male student was found responsible and was expelled.
Large private university
Witness to sexual violence protected from intimidation
We represented a female witness to a dating violence case on campus who was being pressured to speak with the
police and the school investigators about a violent matter she had witnessed on her dorm floor. We immediately
communicated on her behalf to the local police, school administrators, and the Title IX investigators to protect
her right to choose to not testify and ensure her safety on campus. She was very relieved not to be pressured by
the school, the title IX office or the police to attend the hearing and testify about fellow students.
Small private college
Investigation of sexual assault complaint concludes with no charges filed
Our client contacted us immediately upon receiving notice by his school that a claim of sexual assault was made
against him by a female student. We assisted him in preparing his detailed answer to the complaint, and then
prepared him and accompanied him to his interview with the campus safety police officers. We worked with the
school Title IX administrators and helped our client find evidence to show inconsistencies with the complaint. The
complainant withdrew her complaint when presented with these inconsistencies and then recanted. The investigation
ended and our client was not charged with anything.
Midsized private college
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Client Testimonials
"I am writing to let any college student who gets accused of something serious by their school know that they
need a lawyer like Felice Duffy to defend them. I was accused of something terrible by a student that I would
never do and didn’t do. Even though I knew exactly what actually happened, I was very scared that my university
might not find me innocent.
It was terrifying to think that I might lose my full basketball scholarship or could have been suspended or
expelled and that me and my family’s name could have gotten a horrible reputation.
I can’t even put into words how I excited I was when I got the letter from the school that cleared me completely
of the charges against me and I have Felice to thank for that 100%.
Since I’m not in Connecticut, Felice and her investigator used video conferencing to interview me and my
witnesses, talk with my parents, and get me fully prepared for every meeting I had with my school. They got all
my texts and email that proved my innocence and organized them perfectly for the Dean and the discipline
committee.
Felice was always very direct and respectful even though the subject matter was very personal, and she was always
ahead of the school in terms of getting me and them important information at every step. It was like having the
best scouting report ever."
Felice obviously knows her stuff but she also deeply cares. You can tell that she loves the work she’s doing to
help college kids in really difficult situations."
College Sophomre, Colorado
“I hired Duffy Law in the middle of a Title IX sexual assault proceeding. While I had initially retained another
attorney on a recommendation, it turns out they did not have much insight to the inner workings of university
policy, which I learned is NOT required to follow the basic laws of due process.
Felice was absolutely incredible, and as an athlete, she understood my thought process and feelings the entire
way. This is what stood out the most to me. At the beginning of my school’s adjudication process, I was an
absolute mess. Not only is Felice extremely knowledgeable in law and how school adjudication processes work, but
she also really does care about her clients and their well-being.
It was initially extremely tough for me to speak about what I was facing. Felice was able to assist me not only in
compiling the proper evidence and responding to the school, but also put me in the right state of mind to defend
myself and move on with my life after it was all completed.
Prior to hiring Duffy Law, I was concerned that I would be relegated to working with a legal assistant or
secretary being that my case was in a college setting as opposed to a state court. However, Felice always found a
way to make time and was there every step of the way.
I feel like an important part of hiring an attorney is being able to trust them to fight for you no matter what
the scenario may be and you can rest assured you will be getting that with Duffy Law. I would recommend Felice
Duffy of Duffy Law 10 times out of 10 to anyone that may be put in a tough situation like I was”
Female College Freshman, Massachusetts
“When your kid is accused of a serious conduct code violation at his college, you quickly learn that there’s a
whole different set of rules in place than in the real world. There are no legal standards, no assurances of a
“fair trial.” You’re presumed guilty and you have to backtrack and prove why you’re NOT guilty. We pretty quickly
realized that we needed strong legal representation and guidance. Our son was completely falsely accused and we
were ready to dig in to clear his name.
Duffy Law’s truly unique background and deep experience with navigating the school’s process was amazing. They
made it clear that our son was the client, not us (his parents). They worked with him extensively and earned his
total trust. He felt empowered that he had the right people in his corner to defend him. They gave our whole
family a sense a calm and confidence.
Thanks to incredibly hard work by Felice and her team, our son was found “not responsible” (meaning innocent of
any wrongdoing). The outcome was everything we could have hoped for. I have already recommended Duffy Law to a
friend who’s son was caught up in a serious, very complicated conduct code charge, and I will continue to
recommend them to any student or parent without reservation.”
Parent of a male southwest private college senior
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Schools Where We've Handled Cases
Here are some of the schools where we’ve represented students, faculty, coaches, and staff:
- Amherst College
- Arkansas State University
- Bard College
- Bates College
- Belmont Abbey College
- Black Hills State University
- Bowling Green State University
- Brandeis University
- Brown University
- Cal State Polytechnic University
- Campbell University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Central Connecticut State University
- Charter Oak State College
- Colgate University
- College of the Holy Cross
- Colorado State University
- Columbia University
- Connecticut College
- Creighton Law School
- Dartmouth College
- Dartmouth Medical School
- Elim Bible Institute and College
- Emmanuel College
- Fairfield University
- Flagler College
- Florida State University
- Fordham University
- Furman University
- George Fox University
- Guilford College
- Howard University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Indiana University
- Johns Hopkins University
- LaSalle University
- Lesley University
- Long Island University
- Louisiana State University
- Marist College
- Marquette University
- Miami University
- Michigan State University
- Mississippi University
- Mount St. Mary's University
- New College of Florida
- Nichols College
- Pennsylvania State University
- Pittsburgh State University
- Plymouth State University
- Quinnipiac University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rice University
- Sacred Heart University
- South Carolina State University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- St. John's University
- St. Lawrence University
- Syracuse University
- Swarthmore College
- Tallahassee Comm. College
- Texas A&M Univiersity
- Touro University
- Trinity College
- Tufts University
- University of Buffalo
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of California, Riverside
- University of Central Florida
- University of Connecticut
- University of Hartford
- University of Kansas
- University of Lynchburg
- University of Maryland
- University of Mass. Med. School
- University of Miami
- University of Missouri
- University of Nebraska
- University of New Haven
- University of Northern Colorado
- University of Pittsburg
- University of Redlands California
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Texas Austin
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
- University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
- University of Wyoming
- Utah University School of Medicine
- Vance-Granville Community College
- Vassar College
- Virginia Wesleyan University
- Washington University, St. Louis
- Wesleyan University
- Westfield State University
- Western Connecticut State University
- Western Washington University
- Wheaton College
- William Smith College
- Yale University
- Youngstown State University
Protecting the rights of college students accused of violating their school’s code of conduct
Each college and university has an extensive code of conduct setting out unacceptable acts by students attending the school. Because higher-learning institutions often place significant emphasis on acceptance and diversity, schools often have particularly strict rules against acts that may be considered to be bias-motivated conduct and set out harsh penalties for violators. Allegations of bias-motivated conduct may be based on unfounded suspicion and may arise from an incident that involved a simple assault or other offense. For this reason, you can face substantially inflated consequences for certain actions if your school believes it was a crime.
If you have been accused of bias-motivated conduct by your college or university, it is imperative to seek representation by a highly experienced defense lawyer as soon as possible. Call 203-946-2000 for a consultation with a knowledgeable attorney at Duffy Law, LLC today.
What constitutes bias-motivated conduct?
Bias-motivated conduct occurs when an offense is motivated by prejudice or bias against an individual or group due to protected factors such as race, religion, or sexual orientation. Bias-motivated conduct is further intended to cause fear, terror, or psychological or emotional harm to the targeted victim. Examples of acts on college campuses that may be considered to be bias-motivated conduct include:
- A physical assault accompanied by derogatory comments or slurs.
- Graffiti or other types of vandalism directed toward certain individuals with derogatory words or symbols (e.g. spray painting a swastika on the housing of a Jewish individual).
- Burning a cross on the lawn of a largely minority fraternity.
These are only a few examples as a wide array of unlawful acts may be considered to be bias-motivated conduct if biased motivation is inferred. To show biased or prejudiced motivations, however, an investigator must prove what you were thinking at the time of the act. Often, even if you did not say or display anything specifically prejudicial or offensive, a school administration may allege bias-motivated conduct based on circumstantial evidence.
Bias Based on Religion or Political Beliefs
Many college codes of student conduct describe a bias-related incident as behavior demonstrating bias on the basis of ethnicity, color, gender, gender identity, disability, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. These are factors protected by federal and state civil rights laws.
Political beliefs are not included on this list, but in an increasing number of situations, accusations of bias-motivated misconduct on campus involve the expression of political ideology. For some issues, a student’s political stance is influenced, partially or completely, by their religious beliefs. But other issues rest more on economic grounds or factors completely unrelated to traits protected by civil rights laws.
In our nation’s increasingly divisive political climate, it is becoming more common for allegations of bias-motived conduct to be founded not on bias against race, ethnicity, or gender issues but on political and religious views. The team at Duffy Law is dedicated to protecting student’s rights to education in an atmosphere free from unlawful bias. But at the same time, we protect all students’ rights to self-expression. Students are often treated in a way that violates a school’s own disciplinary procedures, receiving treatment that amounts to punishment before a matter has been subject to investigation or a student has had the opportunity to mount a defense. When a college or university fails to abide by its own policies and procedures or when it violates a student’s legal rights, we are prepared to fight for fair treatment and a level playing field.
When Expression of Personal Belief is Treated as Misconduct
Many schools, in their code of conduct, specify that the mere expression of an idea or point of view is not necessarily a bias-related incident. However, actions taken against students who express ideas that don’t meet with public approval indicate that institutions often give in to pressure or even see it as their duty to take disciplinary action against students who express controversial ideas or viewpoints that differ from those espoused by prominent members of faculty or the majority of students.
Increasingly, one person’s expression of an opinion or belief may be viewed by others as an expression of bias or hate. Students who express genuinely-held religious or political beliefs are accused of bias-motivated conduct and are sometimes subjected to no-contact orders and other treatment without having any opportunity to defend their position or receive an explanation of precisely what school rules they are accused of violating.
There are situations where a school’s disciplinary action against a student for bias-motivated conduct actually constitutes a violation of the student’s civil rights.
Protection of rights often requires a balancing of two competing interests, but the value of the less-popular interests can be overlooked in the heat of debate. This is why our legal system is so valuable, because it provides an opportunity to focus on the rights of everyone involved and to ensure those rights are protected. At Duffy Law, we defend students wrongfully accused of code of conduct violations in campus proceedings, but we also know how to succeed in court when necessary to protect the rights and opportunities of students unfairly treated for expressing opinions on campus.
Potential penalties for bias-motivated conduct violation
If a school administration determines that you were responsible for bias-motivated conduct in violation of the code of conduct, a lengthy suspension or expulsion will be the likely consequence. Colleges and universities have very low tolerance for bias-motivated conduct and often will discipline you to the fullest extent possible. In addition, if the alleged bias-motivated conduct in question also qualifies as a criminal offense, your school may report the incident to law enforcement and you may face charges in state court. These charges have severe penalties including probation or jail time, as well as a conviction on your permanent record.
Contact an experienced college student bias-motivated conduct defense lawyer for help today
Accusations of bias-motivated conduct by your college or university should never be taken lightly. Consequently, your first call should be to Duffy Law, LLC to consult with one of our highly experienced college student defense attorney regarding your case. Call Duffy Law at 203-946-2000 for a confidential consultation with a knowledgeable Conduct Code attorney today.