A federal court dismissed charges of defamation and Title IX violations Thursday filed by Northwestern philosophy professor Peter Ludlow against Northwestern, university officials and a graduate student.
Ludlow alleged that during the University's investigation of a sexual assault claim against him in 2014 violated Title IX, defamed him and put him in a false light, according to court documents.
The federal court judge dismissed the Title IX claims because Ludlow didn't show that any alleged discrimination was connected to his gender. The defamation and false light claims were also dismissed because the alleged statements were either substantially true or not highly offensive, according to court documents.
Ludlow filed the lawsuit in June 2014 against the University and some top officials – President Morton Shapiro, University spokesman Alan Cubbage, philosophy professor Jennifer Lackey, and director of Northwestern's Sexual Harassment Prevention Office Joan Slavin.
He also filed for defamation against a graduate student who testified to the Northwestern General Counsel that he may have sexually assaulted her while she was intoxicated during their relationship. He dated the student, who was not taking his class or working with him, from October 2011 to January 2012, according to court documents.
Ludlow has the option of filing an amended claim.