John Doe v. Trs. of Bos. Coll.

• Decision Date: 08 June 2018
• Docket Number: No. 16-2290,16-2290
• Citation: 892 F.3d 67
• Parties: John DOE, Mary Doe, and James Doe, Plaintiffs, Appellants, v. TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE, Paul J. Chebator, Carole Hughes, Catherine-Mary Rivera, Patrick J. Keating, and Barbara Jones, Defendants, Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit

892 F.3d 67

John DOE, Mary Doe, and James Doe, Plaintiffs, Appellants,

v.TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE, Paul J. Chebator, Carole Hughes, Catherine-Mary Rivera, Patrick J. Keating, and Barbara Jones, Defendants, Appellees.

No. 16-2290

United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

June 8, 2018

Charles B. Wayne, Washington, DC, with whom Matthew J. Iverson, Boston, MA, and DLA Piper LLP were on brief, for appellants.

Daryl J. Lapp, with whom Elizabeth H. Kelly and Locke Lord LLP, Boston, MA, were on brief, for appellees.

Before Torruella, Selya, and Kayatta, Circuit Judges.

TORRUELLA, Circuit Judge.

In October 2012, John Doe ("Doe") was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow Boston College student during an off-campus school event sponsored by a student organization. Pursuant to its written policies and procedures on sexual assault, outlined in its 2012-2013 Student Guide (the "Student Guide"), and Conduct Board Procedure, Boston College held disciplinary proceedings against Doe. After two days of hearings, an Administrative Hearing Board (the "Board") found Doe responsible for the lesser offense of indecent assault and battery, and imposed several sanctions. Doe filed an appeal of the Board's decision, but his request for appeal was denied by Boston College officials. In 2014, at the request of Doe's parents, Boston College conducted an independent review of the disciplinary proceedings. The reviewer determined that the Board had properly followed the relevant procedures and that new evidence that Doe brought forth did not undercut the Board's finding.

Seeking compensatory damages, declaratory relief, a permanent injunction, and expungement of the disciplinary proceedings from his university records, Doe and his parents, James and Mary, (collectively "the Does") filed a lawsuit against Defendants Trustees of Boston College (the "University" or "B.C."), and several B.C. officials. Following discovery, the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The district court held a hearing and subsequently entered summary judgment on all counts in the Defendants' favor. This timely appeal followed. After careful review, we vacate in part and affirm in part.

I. Background

A. Factual History

1. The Alleged Sexual Assault

On October 20, 2012, Doe, a senior at Boston College, attended a school event on the SPIRIT OF BOSTON cruise ship in his capacity as a journalist for the school newspaper. At around 11:30p.m., Doe—standing 6'4? tall and wearing a purple shirt—danced his way across a heavily crowded dance floor to reach some of his friends. While Doe was slowly moving through the crowd, a woman turned around and screamed at him. The woman, "A.B.," later testified that at that time she felt a hand go up her dress and that "two fingers were forcibly inserted up into [her] anus." After the screaming incident, Doe continued to move across the crowd until he reached his friends. Soon after, security guards escorted Doe to a separate area on the ship, where he was required to stay until the ship returned to the pier. Massachusetts State Police arrested Doe once the ship docked, and released him on bail the following morning. Forensic specialists took his clothes and several swabs from his hands, fingers, and fingernails as evidence.

The State Police arrested Doe based on the allegations made by A.B. to State Trooper David Walsh ("Trooper Walsh"). According to the October 20, 2012 Arrest Report, A.B. stated to Trooper Walsh that "while she was dancing she felt a hand go up he[r] dress and penetrate her." She further stated that "she immediately turned around and identified/looked at the person who touched her." While still at the pier, Trooper Walsh asked A.B. to step out of the police cruiser and identify the alleged wrongdoer. A.B. identified Doe as the person who touched her. Betsy, A.B.'s friend and dance partner during the school event, did not see the alleged sexual assault, but mentioned to the state authorities that A.B. told her "that the tall male with brunette hair [and] purple buttoned down shirt stuck his fingers in between her legs."

According to Doe, however, another male—Boston College senior "J.K."—crossed the dance floor in front of him as the alleged sexual assault occurred. Doe testified that, at the moment when A.B. screamed at him, J.K. turned to him and said, "Sorry, dude, that was my bad." The day after Doe's arrest, J.K. texted some of Doe's friends asking whether Doe was "ok" and if Doe "got in trouble."

2. The Criminal Case

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts filed an application for a criminal complaint against Doe, which the Boston Municipal Court issued on October 22, 2012. The complaint charged Doe with indecent assault and battery. He was arraigned that same day and pled not guilty. In February 2013, the tests of the samples taken from Doe's hand were completed, showing that Doe's hands were negative for traces of blood. The examiners did not test the samples for DNA, but preserved the swabs for possible DNA testing at a later date. During discovery, Doe produced a copy of the surveillance video from the ship that had been forensically enhanced and analyzed. In May 2014, the Commonwealth moved to dismiss the charges against Doe, and the court granted that motion.

3. 2012 University Disciplinary Proceedings

a. Boston College's Disciplinary Procedures

During the relevant time, B.C.'s written policy governing the investigation and adjudication of sexual assault accusations consisted of: (1) Section Four of the Student Guide (titled Community Standards and Policies); (2) Section Five of the Student Guide (titled Student Conduct System); and (3) the Conduct Board Procedure. The Office of the Dean of Students was tasked with "developing, disseminating, and upholding [the] behavioral standards that comprise the University Code of Student Conduct." Additionally, "[t]he Student Conduct System [was] administered by the Vice President for Student Affairs through the Dean of Students and his/her staff."

These documents provided certain rights to students facing disciplinary proceedings. These rights included "access to a process through which to resolve deprivations of rights" and "a fair procedure which [was] appropriate to the circumstances." In the case of accusations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual misconduct, the school conducted a pre-hearing investigation of the allegations, which included "a review of statements obtained from either party, interviews with the complainant and the accused (if identified), interviews with appropriate witnesses, and a review of other relevant information."

Pursuant to B.C.'s procedures, a disciplinary complaint with the school could have proceeded concurrently with any criminal action. Still, the Office of the Dean of Students could have also decided to stay the disciplinary proceedings while the criminal matter was ongoing. Furthermore, the Student Guide provided that a student may be summarily suspended for certain conduct, including sexual assault. A summary suspension would have been followed, within a reasonable time, by a conduct hearing.

After a complaint was filed against a student, that student would meet with the Dean of Students or its designee to discuss the complaint. During this meeting, the University would decide whether the complaint should "be kept open for a later resolution, dropped, resolved, or referred to an appropriate hearing board."¹ If the complaint was referred to a board, the accused student would be provided with a copy of the referral, the Conduct Board Procedure, a written notification of the time and location of the hearing, the names of all the parties charged, the alleged violation, and name of the complainant.

Boston College's policies also provided for the composition of the Administrative Hearing Boards. According to Section Five of the Student Guide, those boards were "composed of three administrators, one faculty member or academic administrator and one student." All board members were trained by the Office of the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students designated the board's chairperson, and all board members were required to "disclose any real or perceived conflict of interest between themselves and any party."

The Student Guide and Conduct Board Procedures also detailed the hearing procedure. During conduct hearings, both the complainant and the accused student could have an advisor with them.² Both parties were "entitled to bring witnesses to the hearing." However, witnesses would be limited to those who could "speak to the facts of the incident which they ha[d] witnessed." The hearing would begin with the board's chairperson "reading the formal charges as determined by the Office of the Dean of Students." Next the complainant would have the opportunity to read his or her incident report and further elaborate as needed. The accused would be given the opportunity to respond, but could remain silent if he or she elected. All board members would be allowed to question both parties "on all matters relevant to the complaint." At the hearing's conclusion, both parties would be afforded the "opportunity to make a final statement to the hearing board."

Soon after the hearing, the board would meet in private to deliberate and "determine whether the accused [was] responsible or not for the charge(s), based upon a preponderance of the evidence." The board could have reached one of the following determinations: (1) responsible; (2) not responsible; (3) no finding; or (4) responsible for a lesser included charge. If the board concluded that an accused student was "responsible," it could recommend sanctions including suspension or dismissal from the University.

The University would then be required to send written notification of the board's determination to both parties within five days of the hearing. Either party could appeal the board's determination on two possible grounds: (1) demonstrated lack of fairness during the hearing; or (2)...