Lawsuit claims Roberts Wesleyan University failed to address sexual misconduct allegations  

A federal lawsuit filed by four women last week claims Roberts Wesleyan University failed to address allegations of sexual misconduct and dissuaded them from speaking with law enforcement. 

Also named as defendants are Michael Broberg, a former Roberts administrator, and Samson McCrady, a 2016 graduate whom three of the four women accused of sexual assault. 

The plaintiffs – identified by pseudonyms to protect their identities – are represented by J. Morgan Levy.

The lawsuit is similar to another one filed last year by a woman who is a former Roberts student.  That case is still pending against the school in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. 

Some of the plaintiffs in the most recent suit decided to speak out after learning of last year’s case, a release from Levy’s office stated.  

The plaintiffs’ accounts – which they said occurred while students at the school – demonstrate a long-standing pattern of Roberts disregarding women who report sexual harassment while actively supporting the male students accused of the behavior, the release stated. 

“Roberts’s actions and inactions over the plaintiffs’ sexual misconduct experiences caused deep wounds and suffering,” Levy wrote. “They now call upon Roberts to make substantial, systemic changes so its students feel safe when reporting sexual harassment.”

A statement from Roberts Wesleyan is below.  

“Learning of a claim of this nature is disheartening, yet it serves as an opportunity to explore what happened in the past – and continue to implement change in the future. As an educational institution, Roberts Wesleyan University is dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare of each of our students, faculty and staff – we treat every report very seriously. Our hearts break for anyone who has ever been impacted.”

It continued, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, harassment and discrimination. Resources are available to report any incident, and we have a team that will respond with immediate support for the reporting party, while adhering to state and federal regulations.” 

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