Former Myers Park student seeks new trial in sexual assault lawsuit
Jury had sided with CMS and CMPD; Suit by 'Jane Doe' led to new accusations on mishandling of complaints in 2021
The following article appeared in the May 8, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Lawyer for young woman who alleged assault by fellow student cites errors in 2023 verdict
In a 2023 federal trial in Charlotte, federal Judge Robert Conrad (left) asked questions of potential jurors, as plaintiff’s lawyer Laura Dunn (middle) and her client look on. Dunn this week asked an appeals court in Richmond to order a new trial for her client, a former Myers Park High student, who reported a sexual assault in 2015. (Courtroom sketch by Jerry McJunkins; The Ledger blurred the face of the plaintiff to avoid identifying her.)
A former Myers Park High student who said she was sexually assaulted off-campus in 2015 asked an appeals court in Richmond on Tuesday to grant her a new trial, after a federal jury last year sided with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police in her lawsuit.
In a 45-minute hearing, lawyer Laura Dunn said the former student, identified in court proceedings as Jane Doe, deserves to have the jury’s verdict overturned because, she said, District Court Judge Robert Conrad improperly limited evidence that the jury could hear and released from the case the school resource officer who took the initial report.