Alumni Sue Ringling College And Allege Fraud And Negligence

SARASOTA, FL — Eight alumni of the Ringling College of Art and Design sued the school, accusing it of “failing to provide a safe campus environment,” according to a news release from Massey Law Group.

The suit alleged multiple causes of action, including constructive fraud, negligent supervision and retention, breach of implied contract and breach of fiduciary duty, the law group said.

Attorney Starlett M. Massey filed the suit on behalf of the alumni on Tuesday in Sarasota County. They’re seeking a jury trial and more than $100,000 from the college, court records showed. The 207-page complaint has not yet been made public.

“The safety of our students and the entire Ringling College community is and always has been a top priority. As a practice, however, the college does not comment on pending legal matters," Chelsea Garner-Ferris, editorial director for the college, told Patch.

The plaintiffs alleged that Ringling College “breached its duty to provide a safe campus environment by failing to protect its student population from the mishandling of student-on-student reports of sexual assault, sexual harassment, threats of violence and stalking,” the law firm said.

The alumni also alleged that the college “breached its duty to protect students and student employees from discrimination.” They claim they were discriminated against by Christopher Shaffer, the now former associate dean of students in resident life. The students said the discrimination was based on gender, race, disabilities and LGBTQ status.

Three of the plaintiffs — Lyra Wilson, Roxee Zinsser and Dylan Bonner — claimed that they were sexually assaulted on Ringling’s campus and that college administration mishandled the reports of student-on-student sexual assault and attempted to cover up the complaints, according to Massey.

They said the college “engaged in a pattern and practice of silencing students and covering up reports of student-on-student misconduct and violations of Florida and federal anti-discrimination laws since 2008,” the news release said.

Megan Ruiz, who was sued for defamation by Christopher Shaffer in August of 2020 after she publicly voiced her concerns about the cover-up of student misconduct and discrimination at Ringling College, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

She is still being sued by Shaffer after posting a tweet describing some of her negative experiences with him nearly two years ago, on June 22, 2020, the law firm said. She has since filed a counterclaim against Shaffer, who has also brought a lawsuit against Ringling College.

“For much of the past two years, I didn't have the mental health needed to pursue this lawsuit,” Ruiz said. “Now that others have come forward, I am reminded that my only goal since all of this started was to advocate for the well-being of the Ringling community. The college was negligent, and I'm moving forward for the sake of the mental health and safety of others, as scary as this is."

In addition to Ruiz, Lyra Wilson, Bonner and Zinsser, Caitlin Henning, Nicholas Berger, Bryan Paul Patterson and Lauren Wilson are also plaintiffs on the lawsuit.