Former Oregon B-Ball Players Dismissed After Rape Investigation Suing School

Former Oregon basketball players Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson have filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming they were unfairly dismissed amid a 2014 sexual assault investigation. 

Attorney Alex Spiro told ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil the lawsuit hopes to show "the manner that the proceedings were conducted at Oregon has been problematic and that these students were victimized by that process."

Artis, Dotson and Brandon Austin were accused of raping a woman in March 2014. They were dismissed from the program two months later despite not being charged with a crime. 

The lawsuit claims Oregon "engineered a 'kangaroo court' hearing with the purpose of finding that Artis and Dotson committed a sexual assault that did not in reality occur." The players are seeking damages of $10 million apiece, specifically saying their dismissals left them at a disadvantage when trying to play basketball professionally.

Artis has since transferred to UTEP. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game as a junior.

Dotson is currently playing at Houston, putting up 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 36.9 percent from the field.

Austin, who was previously accused of sexual assault while at Providence, sued the university for $7.5 million last year. He claimed "he was wrongly accused and was denied a chance to adequately defend himself in university disciplinary proceedings." Like the suit filed by Artis and Dotson, Austin claims the situation has prevented him from making millions in the NBA. He no longer plays Division I basketball.

"It is unfortunate the Mr. Austin has decided to pursue this type of lawsuit, and we intend to vigorously defend the university," Oregon spokesman Tobin Klinger said regarding Austin's case, per The Associated Press (via ESPN). "We're confident Mr. Austin was afforded fair and consistent due process that fully complied with the university's legal obligations."

The university is yet to offer a comment on the filing from Artis and Dotson.

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