Jameis Winston's Accuser Sues FSU: Latest Details and Comments

Jameis Winston's accuser has sued Florida State University trustees, seeking unspecified damages for Title IX violations.

Continue for updates.

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Winston's Accuser Speaks Out In Documentary

Sunday, Jan. 25

Jameis Winston's accuser has spoken out in a Sundance documentary about her experiences, via Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast:

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Officer Scott Angulo handled Kinsman’s case—or mishandled it, if Kinsman’s attorneys are to be believed. Angulo was a Florida State graduate who did private security work for the Seminole Boosters, a major fundraising arm of Florida State athletics. In the wake of her rape accusation, he failed to obtain a DNA sample from Winston, failed to interview him, failed to question the cab driver, failed to demand video footage from the 30 cameras inside Potbelly’s, and failed to question Seminoles defensive end Chris Casher, Winston’s roommate/teammate who allegedly tried to tell him to stop raping Kinsman. According to Kinsman, the Tallahassee Police Department did nothing for 10 months. Meanwhile, she was constantly being re-victimized by her FSU classmates.

'All these people were praising [Winston]… and calling me a slut, a whore,' Kinsman says in the film.

Kinsman’s case finally gained some traction in November 2013, when it was reported that DNA provided by Winston matched a DNA sample taken from her underwear on the night of the alleged assault. The odds of the DNA belonging to someone other than Winston were 1 in 2.2 trillion. She couldn’t fathom why it took 11 months for the case to make its way to local prosecutors. 

But on December 5, 2013, State Attorney Willie Meggs announced that the case was over, and no charged would be filed against Winston. In Dick’s film, Meggs is interviewed on camera and claims that while he did not have sufficient evidence to convict Winston, 'I think things that happened that night were not good.'

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'I kind of just want to know… why me?' asks a teary-eyed Kinsman in the film. 'It doesn’t really make sense.'

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Winston's Accuser Sues FSU

Wednesday, Jan. 7

A federal lawsuit was filed against Florida State University trustees by the woman who accused Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston of rape in 2012.

Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel reports the woman, who's listed as Jane Doe in the complaint, is seeking unspecified damages for Title IX violations. She states the school didn't provide the necessary response to the alleged incident.

The complaint also argues Florida State purposely hindered an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department to protect the football player, according to Sonnone:

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The complaint states FSU intentionally hindered TPD's investigation 'so that Winston's FSU football career would be unaffected.' The FSU athletics department, according to the complaint, was in contact with TPD in January 2013 while senior associate director of athletic (sic) Monk Bonasorte and football coach Jimbo Fisher had knowledge of the rape accusation.

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Winston's accuser is hoping for a jury trial in the case. The report states she is seeking compensation including, but not limited to, education reimbursement, payment for the expenses associated with the sexual assault, damages due to pain and suffering and a loss of future earnings.

The complaint does not list Winston or the TPD as defendants. The case is solely based on FSU failing to comply to the Title IX standards. From Sonnone:

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'FSU became a sexually hostile environment where her rapist roamed free and could turn up at any moment, where she became the target of death threats and vilification campaigns,' the complaint states.

The lawsuit alleges the university violated two counts of Title IX federal statutes, providing a 'clearly unreasonable response' and creating a 'hostile education environment.'

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Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported in December 2013 that state attorney Willie Meggs decided Winston would not be charged in the case. He faced potential felony charges, but the state attorney claimed there wasn't enough evidence to have a "reasonable likelihood of conviction."

Last month, Rachel Axon of USA Today noted Winston, who has maintained the encounter was consensual, was cleared of any student conduct code violations. Retired Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Major Harding heard the case.

The latest complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando on Wednesday. Florida State officials have yet to make any comment about the latest news.