ANN ARBOR (WWJ) -- A week after their lawsuit was dismissed by a state Court of Claims judge, survivors spoke out against the University of Michigan for failing to act on reports of alleged sexual harassment and abuse by a former professor.
Eight former U of M students have accused Bruce Conforth of sexual harassment, grooming, assault and rape. They have also denounced the university for allowing Conforth to continue teaching.
Allegations against the 71-year-old former professor date back to a report from 2008 with the most recent report filed in 2017.
Attorneys representing the women filed claims against both Conforth and the university in a Washtenaw Circuit Court. The lawsuit against U of M was later moved to the state Court of Claims -- known for handling matters related to public institutions -- where it was dismissed last week.
According to the judge, because the claims were not filed within two years of the alleged abuse, current Michigan law does will not allow the case to go forward.
In a Friday morning press conference, the eight survivors expressed their anger and disgust at the dismissal. They believe the stipulation requiring victims to file claims within two years is unjust.
They are also frustrated with U of M, saying the university is wrong for fighting them in court instead of taking accountability for how the allegations against Conforth were handled over the past decade.
"Today there are 8 of us, each one the result of the university repeatedly giving Bruce one more chance," said Amelia Brown, one of the survivors.
"By not coming to the table, and pursuing such a litigious path," Brown said, "the University of Michigan has taken a hard and aggressive stance against us and against all survivors.
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Brown was a senior at U of M in 2016. She and another survivor reported Conforth to U of M's Office of Institutional Equity in January 2017. Neither woman heard from the OIE again, and they later learned that Conforth had quietly retired.
Upon Conforth's retirement, the university could no longer complete an investigation against him. According to the survivors, Conforth also had access to his office, files and university email for two weeks after he retired -- time they believe he may have used to destroy evidence.
The women also cited a so-called "last chance" agreement between U of M and Conforth. The agreement allowed Conforth to stay employed despite the growing number of allegations, so long as he followed certain restrictions.
According to allegations that Conforth had raped students in his office, the restrictions in the "last chance" agreement were not enforced.
"This school has the audacity to tell me I should have reported him in a timely manner," said Isabelle Brourman, another survivor who shared her story Friday morning. "It took you eight years, three known reports, and several bullshit investigations... Instead, you made a backroom deal with a rapist. You told him to retire."
Katherine McMahan also spoke at the conference. She filed the first known report against Conforth in 2008, accusing him of physically assaulting her and trying to coerce her into coming back to his room after a class outing.
"The University had the opportunity to take action 14 years ago," McMahan said on Friday. "They chose to pay lip service and turned a blind eye as his behavior grew more egregious and violent."
According to the survivors' attorney, Daniel Barnett, they will appeal last week's ruling. Barnett will argue that if the university knew about the abuse and failed to take proper action, it should be held accountable. Additionally, he hopes to overturn the two-year reporting precedent, calling it "bad law."
"We want justice, justice for survivors," Barnett said.
The eight women ended the press conference by calling on U of M President Santa Ono to acknowledge the alleged abuse and stand by his promise to increase U of M's accountability to survivors.
"President Ono, the University of Michigan dismissed us in court," each woman said during the conference. "Will you do the same, or will you meet with us and make this right?"
The claim against Conforth and a claim invoking the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act are still pending in the Washtenaw Circuit Court. There are no current updates as to how those cases may play out.
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