Louisiana State University officials did little to deal with allegations of sexual harassment and assault against a French graduate student, which enabled his interactions with undergraduate and high school girls even after learning that he had been arrested for rape in central Louisiana was said six women in a federal lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in Baton Rouge on Monday, said two of the plaintiffs, both college students, were eventually raped by Edouard d’Espalungue d’Arros, who is believed to have sought refuge in France.
The other women – another student, two doctoral students and a professor – all stated that they were victims of harassment, unwanted physical contact or retaliation in connection with d’Espalungue. Her complaints to the Title IX office of LSU, which were charged with investigating violations of federal laws related to sexual discrimination, remained inconclusive, according to the lawsuit.
“There is no record of any investigation or interim measures being taken,” the lawsuit said. It also stated that the Title IX office said “at least once” that the harassment complaints did not warrant an investigation, even though d “Espalungue had faced several such complaints – and the rape allegation in the Rapides community.
The lawsuit follows several scandals related to LSU’s handling of sexual harassment and assault complaints, including some involving star athletes. In addition to the litigation, there was a burning independent report earlier this year documenting years of abuse by the LSU of student allegations of rape, assault and abuse, which fall under Title IX federal laws.
News outlets reported that d’Espalungue was allowed to travel to France by a state judge in the municipality of Rapides last year – long after his arrest in 2018 but before he was charged with third degree rape in February. The alleged victim in this case is a University of Louisiana-Lafayette student who said d’Espalungue raped her while they were both attending a religious retreat in the Rapides Ward.
An arrest warrant has been issued against d’Espalungue, but the prospects of forcing him to return to Louisiana are unclear. “Our office is actively working with law enforcement agencies, including our federal partners, to ensure the arrest of this fugitive,” said Brian Cespiva, an assistant district attorney at Rapides Parish, in a statement released Wednesday.
The lawsuit against LSU also states that d’Espalungue was able to use his role at the university to have contact with high school students and includes allegations of seducing such a student after attending an awards ceremony at the April 2019 LSU had participated.
Neither the university nor any of the individual LSU officials named as defendants have so far submitted a reply. The university declined to comment when asked if any of the officers had anything to say about it. The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $ 75,000 to compensate them for what the lawsuit describes as “physical, mental, emotional, and occupational harm” and an unspecified amount of punitive damages.
The lawsuit states that LSU learned of the pending rape allegation in the Rapides community no later than October 10, 2018, citing local news. It states that d’Espalungue was removed as a graduate teaching assistant by Troy Blanchard, dean of the LSU College of Humanities and defendant in the lawsuit.
However, the lawsuit states that Adelaide Russo, chair of the Faculty of French Studies and also defendant, effectively kept him in touch with students in a variety of ways, including roles in departmental programs such as French Table and French Movie Night, and running social media -Accounts for the French LSU club.
It was only after an investigation by the LSU Student Advocacy and Accountability Office into the alleged rape of one of the plaintiffs in September 2020, who was identified as Jane Doe # 1, that d’Espalungue was suspended from the LSU. There is no evidence that the student was pursuing a criminal complaint in Baton Rouge in this case.
The proceedings against d’Espalungue were now pending in the municipality of Rapides. The alleged victim in the case told The Advocate newspaper, which published an in-depth investigation into her case on Tuesday, that the case had left her emotionally charged. Her family has filed a federal lawsuit against d’Espalungue – court records describe their recent efforts to serve him a summons in France. And she said she was determined to continue the case after speaking to other victims.
“I could drop everything, but what would that mean for those who finally got in touch?” The woman wrote to The Advocate. “I am committed to them in my heart. I don’t want to ruin your chance for justice. … I can’t stand the guilt of giving up, allowing him to get away with it for a lifetime without struggling. “
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