St. Thomas Faces Suit Over Suspension in Sexual Assault Case

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A student is suing a private Catholic university in St. Paul over its handling of a sexual assault allegation.

The student wasn't criminally charged in the incident, but the University of St. Thomas suspended him for more than a year after it launched its own investigation.

The case illustrates the difficulty for colleges and universities that find themselves criticized in such cases for either going too easy on alleged perpetrators or trampling their rights.

A federal lawsuit filed Friday alleges that St. Thomas imposed an unfair and illegal disciplinary process against the student. The university denies the allegations and claims that its investigations are thorough and impartial.

St. Thomas filed an emergency motion Monday to delete and seal some of the student's allegations.