During a classroom discussion, a teacher at Elms College asked students to assess the credibility of two sexual assault lawsuits filed against another student, the college and college administrators, according to amended complaints filed in federal court.
The lawsuits, filed in October 2024, were amended earlier this week. The amended complaints describe how the cases were discussed in a sociology class taught in November by Kathleen Angco-Vieweg, then an adjunct professor at the Chicopee, Massachusetts, college.
Angco-Vieweg passed out copies of the lawsuits and asked members of the class if they knew the identities of the students who allege they were sexually assaulted by student Cody McCann, according to the filings.
“The class then included a breakout session, where the class was broken up into groups, and the groups were ordered to read copies of the Complaint and discuss whether they believed the Plaintiff’s version of the events – whether they thought the Plaintiff’s story was ‘credible,’” the amended complaints said.
The filings said Angco-Vieweg’s actions put the plaintiffs’ identities at risk and that they fear retaliation by staff and other students.
Reached by phone Thursday, Angco-Vieweg said she didn’t know about the lawsuits and not to call again.
The amended complaints claim Angco-Vieweg acted in response to a statement to faculty by Elms College President Harry Dumay, “telling them to support their fellow faculty members after the Plaintiff filed a lawsuit.”
An Elms College spokesperson, Carol Lucardi, said Angco-Vieweg is no longer teaching at the college, but would not say if that is because of the classroom scene described in the lawsuit.
“Elms College is committed to the safety of all of our students at all times, and given that the most recent action is part of pending litigation, we are not able to comment further,” Lucardi said in an interview Thursday.
Underlying allegations
The lawsuits describe two separate incidents, in September and October of 2023, in which McCann is alleged to have sexually assaulted female students.
The women notified Elms College and went through the Title IX process, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education settings that receive federal funding.
The complaints state that McCann was not initially punished, “and instead was simply told not to venture into the female floors of his dorm.”
One plaintiff later learned that McCann had been accused of sexually assaulting another student, the filings said.
“Eventually, after three sexual assaults by McCann ... Elms notified McCann that he was unable to enroll in further classes at the College,” according to the complaints.
McCann’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Elms College and McCann have until late January to respond to the lawsuit.
This story was originally published by New England Public Media. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.
