University of Oregon commits frightening abuse of power in rape victim case

[Panich52]

Daily Kos
University of Oregon commits frightening abuse of power in rape victim case
by Kerry Eleveld

When a University of Oregon rape survivor sued the school earlier this year for bungling her case, campus officials dug into the student's confidential therapy records in order to counter her claim. It's a total invasion of privacy that also appears to be legal, writes attorney and social justice advocate Katie Rose Guest Pryal.

The Oregon administration accessed the rape survivor’s therapy records from its counseling center and handed them over to its general counsel’s office to help them defend against her lawsuit. They were using her own post-rape therapy records against her.

It was a senior staff therapist in the counseling unit who blew the whistle on the administration’s actions. In her public letter, she sounds horrified that the work she thought was protected by medical privilege could be violated in such a fashion.

The university came firing back, arguing that because the rape survivor had asserted a legal claim of emotional distress, Oregon was entitled under, of all things, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to use her medical records to defend against her suit.

More
http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/05/1368602/-University-of-Oregon-commits-frightening-abuse-of-power-in-rape-victim-case?detail=email
•

[Maedhros]

1. As an alumnus of the U of O, I'm pretty pissed off about this whole thing...

Administration has always been somewhat at odds with the student body (as are all university administrations), but Oregon seems to be more concerned with their national brand than with doing the right thing.

[niyad]

2. thank you--was just coming in to post this.