Doe v. Univ. of Southern California
Annotate this CaseUSC found that John Doe violated USC's student conduct code as a result of his participation in a group sexual encounter at a fraternity party. Another student (Jane) alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by a group of men at the party. She reported that her sexual contact with John was consensual, but certain contact with the other men was not. USC's office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards (SJACS) found that John violated nine sections of the student conduct code, including the section prohibiting sexual assault. The Appeals Panel found that there was insufficient evidence of any sexual assault, but held that John violated two sections of the student conduct code. John petitioned for a writ of mandate. The trial court rejected John's fair hearing challenge and held that there was substantial evidence to support the Appeals Panel's finding that John violated Student Conduct Code section 11.44C by encouraging and permitting the other students' behavior, but that there was not sufficient evidence to support the finding that John violated section 11.32 by endangering Jane. Both parties appealed. The court concluded that John was denied a fair hearing because USC failed to provide John fair notice of the allegations that resulted in suspension, or an adequate hearing on those allegations. The court also concluded that the evidence does not support the Appeals Panel's findings as to either Student Conduct Code violation. Accordingly, the court affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.