Judge Dismisses Sex Case Lawsuit Against Baltimore County: Report

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A federal judge reportedly dismissed a case against UMBC, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State's Attorney Monday, over how they handled sexual assault investigations. The five women who filed the suit did not provide enough information to substantiate their case, the judge ruled; their attorney, who has three weeks to file a new suit with a more narrow scope, plans to do so, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The five victims allege that the police, UMBC and the state's attorney in Baltimore County treated those who were sexually assaulted by students at UMBC with "disrespect," intimidating them and minimizing their claims, according to WBAL. Afterward, a representative from the university said in a statement to WBAL that the campus would not tolerate sex and gender-based violence, and it found the ruling was "fair."

The attorney for the victims said he plans to amend the complaint with new information that has become available since he initially brought the case to light, WBAL reported.

The victims' attorney, Rignal Baldwin V, filed the suit in September 2018 alleging that hundreds of sexual assault cases were buried or wrongly classified to make it look as though there were fewer than were actually reported in Baltimore County, according to WMAR.

The Baltimore County Police Department was one of 14 nationwide accused of failing to investigate rape allegations in a scathing article from Buzzfeed in 2016.

Afterward, the department made changes to its protocol. It announced it would require a specially trained sex detective to be involved in cases with victims of sexual assaults. Previously, all rape reports were taken by an officer, who may consult another detective in the special victims unit.

There is also now a Sexual Assault Investigations Task Force in Baltimore County tasked with reviewing best practices.

SEE ALSO:

• Sexual Assault Cases In Baltimore County Under Microscope
• Baltimore County Introduces Police Reforms: Cameras, Sex Detectives, Outside Review