Former TCU student seeks $250 million in federal court over rape complaint

A former student from Virginia has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Christian University, asking a jury to award her $250 million in damages.

The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, says she chose TCU over other colleges because recruiters told her the campus was safe for women. Her attorneys claim that marketing was false. They state the university protected rapists instead of survivors.

Doe alleges she was raped on campus in October 2024 while unconscious. She reported the incident to TCU's Sex Assault Hotline and the Office of Institutional Equity. The university began interviewing witnesses the following month.

In February 2025, TCU held an all-day hearing. The panel found the male student guilty of rape. His initial punishment required him to write a paper on mutual consent and rewatch orientation videos. Doe appealed the outcome, but the university denied her appeal.

TCU attorneys say the vice chancellor for Student Affairs reviewed the case and found the original punishment too light. She suspended the male student for the length of Doe's enrollment or two semesters, whichever was longer. TCU filed a motion to dismiss the case in April 2026, arguing it lacks jurisdiction in Virginia.

The lawsuit cites federal data showing TCU recorded 564 reports of sexual assault between 2020 and 2024. The suit claims fewer than 5% of those reports led to formal investigations. TCU counters that the comparison is flawed because reports can be duplicated in the data. The university notes that state law SB 212 requires strict reporting, but students sometimes choose anonymity or decline disciplinary hearings.

Doe is no longer enrolled at TCU. Her attorneys say the trauma from the incident led her to leave the school. The case is pending in federal court in Virginia.