NEW YORK _ A Columbia University student who sought help with housing after being raped instead fell into the clutches of a dean of students who "coerced" her into a relationship, a new lawsuit says.
The suit filed Tuesday in Manhattan Federal Court by the 25-year-old student alleges that Dean of Students Tom Harford used her "need for scholarship funding as bait to keep her in the relationship." The student filed the suit using the pseudonym Jane Doe and seeks $50 million in damages.
A spokeswoman for Columbia University said Harford was "removed from his position as Dean of Students when we learned of behavior that was unacceptable in light of his responsibilities.
"Our priority is providing a safe and supportive learning environment that fosters the intellectual and personal fulfillment of our students," she said.
The General Studies student said she was crashing on an acquaintance's couch in May when she was raped. She reported the incident to police _ and also sought help from Columbia to find housing.
That led her to Harford's office.
After giving her $500 out of his own pocket, their relationship "quickly escalated into an inappropriate and manipulative situation," the suit says.
Harford and the woman began a sexual relationship that included encounters in his office, according to the suit.
The woman told Harford their relationship was compounding her trauma, but he replied they would "make (the relationship) work," according to the suit. Harford's colleagues were aware of his behavior but failed to intervene, papers charge.
The ordeal exacerbated her physical and psychological injures and deprived her of a proper education, papers charge. It was unclear if police had made any arrests in connection with the woman's complaint to the New York Police Department.
In July, former Columbia Business School professor Enrichetta Ravina won a $1.25 million jury award due to a tenured professor's retaliation after she rejected his advances.
"Columbia pays lip service to the ideals of a safe campus," said attorney David Sanford, who handled both cases.
"Jane Doe's story has become a familiar one at Columbia."
Efforts to reach Harford were unsuccessful.
