# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 5- 29 72

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LaTan y a Tho m as , Spe ci al Adm in is tra to r of th e Est at e o f Ty le r Tho m as

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el la nt

v.

Bo ard of Tru st ees of t he Nebr as ka Sta te Co ll eg es

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll ee

Jo sh ua Kead le

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Dis tri ct of Ne br as ka - Om ah a

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Su bm it te d: Ju ne 16 , 20 16 Fil ed : J ul y

1, 2 01 6 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re MUR PHY, BRIGHT, an d S HEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.LaTan y a Tho m as (“ Tho m as ”), th e Sp eci al Adm in is tra to r of th e Est at e of Ty le r

Tho m as (“ Ty le r”), ap pe a l s t he di st ric t co ur t’s ad ve rs e gr an t of su m m ary jud gm en t 1

on he r Tit le IX, 20 U.S.C. § 16 81 et

. se q., cl ai m ag ai ns t th e Bo ard of Trus te es of th e Neb ras ka St at e Co ll eg es (“ th e Bo ard ”). Sh e as se rts th at th e Bo ard sh owe d de li be rat e in di ffer en ce t o th e su bs ta nt ia l ris k of ha rm Jo sh ua Kead le po se d t o fe m al e st ud en ts

on th e P e r u S ta te Co ll eg e (“ Peru St at e”) cam pu s, res ul ti ng in Ty le r’s ab du ct io n,

se xu al as sa ul t, an d m

ur de r by Kead le

. W e ha ve juri sd ic ti on un de r 28 U.S.C. § 12 91

an d a ffi rm

.

W e vi ew th e fact s in th e li gh t m os t fav or ab le to th e no nm ov an t, Tho m as

. See
Ro e v. St . Lo ui s Uni v., 74 6 F.3 d 87 4, 87 7- 87 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 14 ). In th e fal l of 2 0 10
, 19 -y ear- ol d Ty le r was a fem al e f res hm an at Peru St at e an d li ve d in an on -cam pu s do rm it or y , ne xt do or to Jo sh ua Kead le
, th e n 2 9 ye ars ol d. Kead le arri ve d at Peru St at e in th e fal l of 20 1 0

. U p o n h is arri va l, he vo lu nt eere d as a st ren gt h an d

co nd it io ni ng as si st an t fo r Peru St at e’s wom en ’s ba sk et ba ll te am

. A ba ck gr ou nd ch eck
, req ui red fo r Kead le to co nt in ue in th e as si st an t po si ti on , rev eal ed on ly m in or
tra ffi c of fen se s. Aro un d th at ti m e, Kead le cam e un de r su sp ic i o n f o r th e th eft of a la pt op , an d Dire ct or of Hou si ng an d Secu rit y W il li am St on eb arg er rece iv ed an em ai l in di cat in g t ha t Kea dl e h ad be en co nv ic te d o f a rob be ry , accu se d o f ot he r ro bb eri es ,
an d ha d “ a fo rci bl e fo nd li ng (RAPE) on a 18 y r ol d fem al e ch arg e on reco rd
, bu t th e ch arg es were dr op ed [s ic ]. ” St on eb arg er pers ua de d ano th er Peru Stat e pr of es si on al

to r u n a se co nd ba ck gr ou nd ch eck ; in ad di ti on to th e m in or tra ffi c of fen se s, it

rev eal ed a m is de m ean or th eft co nv ic ti on

. The Peru St at e Ath le ti c Dire ct or co nt act ed th e at hl et ic di rect or of a co ll eg e th at Kead le ha d pr ev io us ly at te nd ed fo r a refe ren ce,

an d th at at hl et ic di rect or reco m m en de d th at Peru St at e’s wom en ’s ba sk et ba ll te am no t hi re Kead le

. The Peru St at e Ath le ti c Dir e c t o r d e c id ed no t to hi re Kead le an d

The Hon or ab le Jo hn M. Gerra rd
, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e Dis tri ct 1 of Nebr as ka

.
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-in st ru ct ed th e wom en ’s ba sk et ba ll co ach th at Kead le was no t to ha ve an y co nt act wit h

th e wom en ’s bas ke tb al l t eam

.

Dur in g Sep te m

b e r 20 10
, two st ud en ts co m pl ai ne d th at Kead le se xu al ly ha ras se d th em , an d on -c a mp us di sc ip li na ry pr oc eed in gs ag ai ns t Kead le were in st it ut ed by Peru St at e’s Cri si s Ass es sm en t, Res po ns e, an d Ev al ua ti on te am

. The fir st co m pl ai nt in vo lv ed co nt in uo us se xu al ly in ap pr op ria te co m m en ts an d on e

o ccas io n on whi ch Kead le wait ed fo r th e st ud en t to fin is h he r wor k sh ift an d t h e n

as ke d he r fo r a ki ss on ce a l o n e w i t h he r. St on eb arg er reco m m en de d to th e Vice
Pres id en t fo r Enro ll m en t Man ag em en t th at Kead le be rem ov ed fro m th e do rm it or ie s if he pl ed res po ns ib le , b ut sh e d i s a g r e e d

. Kead le pl ed res po ns ib le an d was in st ead

s an ct io ne d wit h on li ne ed uc at io n act iv it ie s an d 10 ho ur s of co m m un it y s e r v i c e ,
ne it he r of whi ch he co m

pl et ed

. A he ari ng was he ld on th e se co nd co m pl ai nt , whi ch al le ge d c o n t in uo us co m

m en ts an d a de cep ti ve Face bo ok co m m un ic at io n. At th e he ari ng , th e co m

pl ai ni ng st ud en t st at ed th at Kead le ha d m ad e he r feel un co m fo rta bl e bu t no t th reat en ed an d ap ol og iz ed to Kead le

. Sh e la te r m ad e a st at em en t to Tho m as ’s

co un se l th at sh e was afra id of Kead le an d ha d fel t am bu sh ed an d in ti m id at ed du rin g th e he ari ng . At th e ti m e, Kead le was fa il in g hi s clas se s and la te r in th e se m es te r he ki ck ed do wn h is do rm it or y roo m do or

.

On Decem

be r 3, 20 10
, aro un d 1: 00 a.m ., Tyl e r w as reco rd ed on se cu rit y

cam era walk in g aro un d cam pu s al on e. Afte r th at m or ni ng , sh e was ne ve r se en ag ai n. Kead le was qu es t i o n e d b y th e po li ce an d ev en tu al ly ad m it te d to be in g al on e wit h Ty le r ne ar th e Mi ss ou ri Ri ve r in th e earl y m or ni ng of Decemb er 3, bu t in vo ke d hi s
pr iv il eg e ag ai ns t sel f-i nc riminat io n and ha s si nc e ref us ed to be de po se d. Av ai la bl e

ev id en ce in di cat es th at Kead le was th e la s t p e r s on to se e Ty le r al iv e. Ty le r’s bo dy ha s ne ve r be en reco ve red
, an d sh e ha s be en de cl ared de ad by a Neb ras ka st at e co ur t.

Tho m as fil ed a co m

pl ai nt in th e di st ric t co ur t ag ai ns t th e Bo ard
, whi ch go ve rn s Peru St at e, un de r Tit le IX, 20 U.S.C. § 16 81
, et

. se q. Tho m as al le ge d th at th e Bo ard

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-was de li be rat el y in di ffer en t t o t he su bs ta nt ia l ris k of ha rm po se d by Kead le
, in

vi ol at io n of Tit le I X
, r es ul ti ng in Ty le r’s ab du ct io n, rap e, an d m ur de r. The di st ric t

co u r t g ran te d su m

m ary jud gm en t to th e Bo ard an d di sm is se d th e cl ai m

. Tho m as
ap pe al ed

.

The di st ric t co ur t fo un d th at , v i e win g th e fact s in th e li gh t m os t fav or ab le to Tho m as , no ge nu in e is su e of m at eri al fact ex is te d as to whe th er th e Bo ard ha d act ua l kn owl ed ge th at Kead le po se d a su bs ta nt ia l ris k of su ffi ci en tl y se ve re ha rm to st ud en ts ba se d on hi s pr ev io us kn own co nd uc t, or whe th er th e Bo ard act ed wit h de li be rat e in di ffer en ce, bo th of whi ch are req ui red fo r a pl ai nt iff to su ccee d in a Tit le IX cl ai m ba se d on a st ud en t’s acti on s aga in st th e pl ai nt iff

. Upo n care fu l de no vo rev ie w, se e Ro e, 74 6 F.3 d at 88 1, we ag ree. See Geb se r v. Lag o Vis ta In de p. Sch

. Dis t., 52 4 U.S.
27 4, 29 1 (1 99 8) (fi nd in g a si ng le co m pl ai nt of a te a ch er m ak in g in ap pr op ria te

co m m en ts in su ffi ci en t to crea te act ua l kn owl ed ge o f a s ex ua l rel at io ns hi p be twee n th e te ach er an d a st ud en t); Sh ru m ex rel

. Kell y v. Klu ck
, 24 9 F.3 d 77 3, 78 0, 78 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 01 ) (fi nd in g kn owl ed ge of ru m or s of in ap pr op ria te co nd uc t, whe re th e po li ce

an d sc ho ol in v e st ig at io ns on th e m at te r were in co nc lu si ve , in su ffi ci en t to es ta bl is h

act ua l kn owl ed ge ); Escu e v. N. Okl a. Co ll
., 45 0 F.3 d 11 46
, 1 1 5 4 ( 1 0t h Ci r. 20 06 ) (in di cat in g th at kn owl ed ge of le ss se ve re p a st m is co nd uc t is un li ke ly to es ta bl is h kn owl ed ge th at th e pa rty po se s a su bs ta nt ia l ris k of ab u s e ( i n t e rn al qu ot at io ns

om it te d) ); Ro e, 74 6 F.3 d at 88 2 (fi nd in g th at an in st it ut io n “ m us t m erel y res po nd to kn own pe er ha ras sm en t in a m an ne r th at is no t cl earl y un reas on ab le .” (q uo ti ng Dav is

ex rel . LaSho nd a D. v. Mo nr oe Cn ty. Bd . of Ed uc ., 52 6 U.S. 6 29 , 64 9 (1 99 9) )).

Afte r care fu l rev i e w , w e a ffi rm th e di st ric t co ur t’s de ta il ed an d th ou gh tfu l

an al y si s an d d eci si on . See 8 th Cir . R. 47 B.

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