Opinion ID: 2820953
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Alleged Cover-Up

Text: The Does contend that Rosa “deliberately conspired to conceal” the allegations by Camper Doe against ReVille. J.A. 35, 61 (Compls. ¶ 25). Jennifer Shiel, an administrative 3The Citadel considered Camper Doe for admission to its 2007 class, but could not admit him because he lacked several high school courses that the state of South Carolina required as prerequisites in order for him to matriculate. The Citadel offered to pay for Camper Doe to take those classes at a community college and consider him for admission to the 2008 freshman class but received no response from Camper Doe. 8 assistant who worked in Rosa’s office, testified that “President Rosa [was] in charge” of a “conscious effort to cover up or conceal [the] report of sexual abuse.” J.A. 975. She testified that Rosa used the term “close hold,” which she interpreted to mean that “only people that needed to know about it were supposed to know about it.” J.A. 985. Further, Shiel testified that Brandenburg and Rosa had nearby offices and met on business at least three times a week. Brandenburg was deferential to Rosa and “there was no way that [Brandenburg] would have done something on his own without running it past [Rosa] first.” J.A. 970. The Does posit that Rosa ignored policies of both The Citadel and its summer camp that required him to report the Camper Doe claim to the Citadel Public Safety Department. J.A. 35, 61 (Compls. ¶ 29); see also Serious Incidents, Memorandum No. 39, J.A. 1376-88 (directing that when criminal activity involving someone affiliated with The Citadel as a suspect or victim occurs, the “first member of the Citadel community learning of the occurrence” is responsible for reporting it to the Public Safety Department); Summer Camp Official Camp Policies Regarding Sexual Misconduct Issues, J.A. 1389 (mandating that “[r]egardless of validity of the violation, any sexually inappropriate conduct reports concerning any camper or employee of the camp will be turned over to the Citadel Public 9 Safety Department”). Shiel testified that Rosa “made sure that did not happen.” J.A. 976. The Does also assert that Rosa violated The Citadel’s Employee Misconduct Policy by allowing ReVille to resign his position at the Writing Center and to leave with a clean record. J.A. 37, 63 (Compls. ¶ 37). According to the Does, The Citadel policy forbids expunging molestation findings from an employee’s record or terminating an investigation in exchange for the employee’s resignation. J.A. 2418. The Does, however, offer no evidence that Rosa expunged findings from ReVille’s record. The Does also point to multiple policies they contend required Rosa to report sexual assault or harassment to the college’s Title IX Coordinator. J.A. 37, 63 (Compls. ¶ 35); see also Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Policy, J.A. 1415-20; Sexual Harassment, J.A. 1421-36; General Procedures for Conducting Formal Investigations of Sexual Harassment, J.A. 1437-38. In addition, the Does allege Rosa violated Title IX’s requirement for an impartial investigation of sexual abuse by leaving the investigation to The Citadel’s general counsel (Brandenburg) and its insurer, the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund. See 20 U.S.C. § 1681. In addition to failing to report the Camper Doe allegations or initiate a proper investigation, the Does contend that Rosa actively concealed the allegations. For example, in October 10 2007, the Camper Doe complaint was omitted from a list of “possible litigation” files kept in The Citadel’s General Counsel’s office. J.A. 2421-34. In 2010, Camper Doe’s name appeared in the list with the description “alleged sexual abuse at summer camp,” but the entry was annotated as being against “Arpaio,” not ReVille. J.A. 2435-38. The Does argue that this “is evidence of President Rosa’s cover up” and that an accurate file, listing ReVille’s name, would have notified the South Carolina Budget and Control Board that potential liability extended beyond the Arpaio sex abuse complaints. Appellant’s Br. 17. 4 As further evidence of a cover-up, the Does point out that The Citadel did not include the Camper Doe complaint in the 2007 crime statistics that it was required to keep under the Clery Act. See 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f). The Clery Act requires schools to report statistics of crimes “that are reported to local police agencies or to a campus security authority” during “the three most recent calendar years.” 34 C.F.R. § 668.46. According to the Does, Rosa “effectively prevent[ed] the trigger of any duty to report pursuant to the Clery Act” by withholding 4 Rosa responds that this argument “defies logic” because the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund, to which Brandenburg did report Camper Doe’s allegations, is a division of the Budget and Control Board. Appellee’s Br. 15; see also S.C. Dep’t of Disabilities and Special Needs v. Hoover Universal, Inc., 535 F.3d 300, 302 (4th Cir. 2008). 11 Camper Doe’s complaint from law enforcement. Appellant’s Br. 18; see also J.A. 36, 62 (Compls. ¶ 31). The Does also assert that The Citadel further hid the Camper Doe allegations by withdrawing a challenge to ReVille’s application for unemployment benefits. On June 8, 2007, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission found ReVille eligible for unemployment benefits due to job loss from The Citadel, and on June 20, 2007, The Citadel filed a Notice of Appeal to challenge that decision. However, on July 5, 2007, four days after Brandenburg met with Camper Doe in Dallas, The Citadel withdrew its appeal of ReVille’s unemployment benefits. ReVille testified that he believed The Citadel withdrew the challenge because Brandenburg and Colonel Trez “did not want to have anything to do with [him] as far as any kind of confrontation or anything.” J.A. 4687. Finally, in June and September 2007, Brandenburg appeared with Rosa before The Citadel’s Board of Visitors to provide information on Camper Doe’s allegations against ReVille. The Does argue that Brandenburg gave such minimal detail on the issue that the Board could not understand the true nature of the complaint. According to a third-party investigative report commissioned by The Citadel, the Board “assumed, based on what they were told, that it was an insurance defense and civil claim matter, and believed from what they were told that this was the 12 case of a father displeased with his son’s unsuccessful application for admission to the College.” J.A. 4043.