WPI Rape Suit Strategy Abandoned, Attorneys Replaced

Worcester, MA — Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which had drawn criticism for arguing in a lawsuit that a student who was raped while studying abroad was partially to blame for the attack, has abandoned that controversial defense.

WPI has also replaced two lawyers who had represented the college in the civil suit the former student brought against the college, according to court documents WPI filed Thursday, reports the Boston Globe.

A security guard at a San Juan, Puerto Rico, condo complex was convicted of the 2012 rape of the female student.

WPI drew outcry from advocates when its attorneys employed a "shared blame" defense strategy, alleging the victim was partly responsible because she put herself in harm's way. They alleged that the student was drunk and followed the assaulter and was therefore partly at fault.

WPI's president issued a statement that the college didn't control any legal tactics because its attorneys worked for the school's insurance provider, not the school itself. A WPI lawyer did, however, work on the case.

The lawyers have been replaced by John P. Ryan and Myles W. McDonough of the Boston firm Sloane & Walsh, LLP, reports the Globe.

"The student, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges the college was negligent in its duty to ensure students’ safety," according to the newspaper.