Federal Judge Won't Stop Title IX Investigation Into Former George Mason Law Prof

Law.com, Federal Judge Won't Stop Title IX Investigation Into Former GMU Law Professor:

A federal judge in Virginia found Thursday that former George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School professor Joshua Wright cannot stop a Title IX investigation into claims that he used his academic influence to seduce female law students—dismissing all but one of his claims against the university.

In a decision released Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles denied Wright’s motion for a preliminary injunction against George Mason and the school’s Title IX coordinator, Thomas Bluestein. George Mason filed a motion to dismiss the multiple-count complaint in Wright v. The Rector and Visitors of George Mason University, arguing that Wright’s First Amendment claim cannot proceed as the university had to be able to investigate, and that Bluestein had qualified immunity protections, among others. 

Tolliver Giles allowed Wright’s First Amendment claim against Bluestein in his official capacity to survive.

The judge found Wright plausibly alleged a causal connection between his defamation suit filed Aug. 24, 2023, against two former students who accused him of sexual misconduct. Weeks later, Bluestein notified Wright that the university had accepted a retaliation claim to be added to former student, Elyse Dorsey’s Title IX complaint, according to the opinion.

Reuters, Ex-law Prof Joshua Wright Must Face George Mason University Sexual Misconduct Investigation, Judge Says:

A federal judge on Thursday said George Mason University can continue its investigation of former law professor Joshua Wright — a one-time U.S. Federal Trade Commission member who resigned his teaching post in 2023 after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.

Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia did not outright dismiss Wright’s lawsuit seeking to end the university's investigation — as the school had requested — but allowed, opens new tab the case to move forward on much narrower grounds. 

Law360, Ex-George Mason Law Prof Can't Stop Title IX Investigation

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Former George Mason Law Prof Files $108M Lawsuit Against Former Students Accusing Him Of Sexual Misconduct (Aug. 26, 2023)
• After Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Former Tenured Law Professor, George Mason Bans Intimate Relationships Between Faculty And Students (Sept. 16, 2023)
• Joshua Wright Files Title IX Suit Against George Mason; Court Dismisses His $108 Million Defamation Claim Against Former Students Who Accused Him Of Sexual Misconduct (Dec. 12, 2023)
• George Mason Fires Back In Lawsuit By Former Tenured Law Professor Accused Of Sexual Misconduct (Jan. 30, 2024)
• Court Allows Former George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright's $108 Million Defamation Suit Against Former Students He Dated To Proceed (June 10, 2024)
• WSJ Three-Part Series On Former George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright 
• Part One: The Hidden Life of Google’s Secret Weapon (June 8, 2024)
• Part Two: For Years, an Esteemed Law Professor Seduced Students. Was He Too Important to Fire? (June 9, 2024)
• Part Three: How Hubris, Revenge and a Breakup Brought Down Big Tech’s Proudest Ally (June 10, 2024)
• Update On Ex-George Mason Law Prof Joshua Wright's Lawsuits Over Sex Allegations (June 23, 2024)
• George Mason To Comply With Congressional Request For Information On Sexual Allegations Against Former Law Prof Joshua Wright (June 27, 2024)
• Former Law Prof Joshua Wright's Lawyer Criticizes Congressional Request For Information On George Mason's Title IX Investigation (June 30, 2024)

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