Syracuse University contests access to police records in sexual assault lawsuit

Syracuse University is facing legal challenges regarding its efforts to limit a former student's access to police records. The student, identified as Jane Doe, is suing the university under New York’s Adult Survivors Act following a sexual assault that occurred on campus during the 1980s.

While the Syracuse Police Department had agreed to provide historical records, the university intervened, arguing that the subpoena was “overbroad” and “unreasonably burdensome.” In February, a New York state court judge ruled in favor of the university, restricting the amount of documentation the victim could obtain to support her claim that the school failed to improve security despite rising crime rates.

Attorneys for the victim have appealed the decision to a state appellate court. The plaintiff's legal counsel has accused the university of attempting to suppress information, drawing parallels to previous instances in the 1980s when the institution allegedly suppressed news coverage of sexual assaults.