Judge denies UNA’s motion to dismiss case of former professor allegedly drugging, raping student

FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) - A disturbing civil case involving a UNA student alleging her professor drugged and raped her could go to trial.

This comes after a federal judge denied UNA's motion to have the case dismissed.

It has been more than year since this civil lawsuit was filed. The victim’s lawsuit says the university and staff never did anything to protect her after the alleged attack.

This is what you need to know, The “Jane Doe v. University of North Alabama” lawsuit was filed in December 2017.

The UNA student called "Jane Doe" alleges she was groped, drugged and raped by then professor David Dickerson, while on a university trip in Florida.

Jane Doe’s lawsuit claims the university and staff didn’t do anything to protect her after the alleged incident and allegedly told her to leave campus, while Dickerson remained employed for months.

University of North Alabama administrators tried to get the $7 million lawsuit dismissed, but a federal judge denied the request.

WAFF 48 News talked to Ashley Massey, a graduate student at UNA, who organized a protest when the allegations came to light.

Massey and hundreds of other students support how the school handled the situation.

“Their response to Jane Doe and calling for the whole thing to be dismissed it’s dismissive! Jane Doe and all survivors should not be silenced. It sets a precedent that if you treat 'Jane Doe’ this way then what about the next person who comes forward," said Massey.

The judge’s ruling paves the way for plaintiff attorneys to follow through with discovery surrounding alleged university violations

The judge also denied Jane Doe’s motions against other UNA staff members.

Jane Doe’s attorney sent the following statement:

""Our client is pleased with the recent District Court’s opinion denying the University’s attempt to silence Jane Doe and dismiss her lawsuit. The Court’s ruling allows us to proceed with full and thorough discovery of all named defendants in an effort to uncover additional facts surrounding the University’s violations and poor decision making. Jane Doe is committed to aggressively pursing justice for herself and setting an example for other similarly situated women. She remains eager to hold the responsible parties accountable and to have her day in court."

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