Sacred Heart University Settles Lawsuit, Apologizes for Wrongly Identifying Man as a Rapist: Report

FAIRFIELD, CT — Sacred Heart University has settled a defamation lawsuit and issued an official letter of apology to a Bridgeport man for wrongfully identifying him as a suspect in the off-campus rape of a 19-year-old student, according to the Connecticut Post.

Daniel Tepfer of the Post reports that the apology letter was part of the settlement the university reached with Gary Douglas, 29, who had sought $1 million in the lawsuit.

Terms of the settlement were unavailable based on a confidentiality agreement Douglas’ lawyer made with the university, according to Tepfer.

Sacred Heart’s security staff misidentified Douglas as a suspect in connection to the sexual assault last April and issued leaflets that featured him and his car with warnings to “be on the lookout” for the man in the photo and to not “allow the suspect on campus,” the Post previously reported.

Alfonso Reid, 39, was arrested in April, 2016 and is accused of raping the student he met at the Golden Star Café on Main Street.

• Related: Disturbing Details Emerge in Rape of College Student Case

Reid is accused of posing as an Uber driver, drugging the victim and repeatedly raping her while ordering her to hold a stopwatch to time his assaults.

He is awaiting trial in the case.

Read more, including the apology letter issued to Douglas, at the Connecticut Post here.

Image via Shutterstock

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