A Philadelphia man has sued IUP, claiming he was expelled from the university because of racial and sex discrimination after his arrest for two rapes for which he was later acquitted.
24-year-old Jose Aponte was a senior criminology major at IUP and was just a week from graduating when he was arrested on May 7th, 2015. He was accused of raping two extremely intoxicated women on consecutive nights, but was found not guilty in trials conducted in March and August of last year.
Aponte’s federal lawsuit contends his 14th Amendment rights guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law were violated by IUP and school officials, including President Michael Driscoll. He was suspended upon his arrest, was forbidden to take his final exams, and did not graduate. At a disciplinary hearing the next month, he was expelled from IUP, which his lawsuit contends was a “predetermined” outcome.
The suit claims the accusers’ stories were accepted as gospel because they were women, and that Aponte’s Hispanic heritage was a factor in his dismissal. He is seeking unspecified damages and his bachelor of science degree in criminology.
