Posted on 02/09/2019 9:42:35 AM PST by abb
The woman who has accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of raping her while they were Duke students 20 years ago also says a Duke basketball player raped her.
In response to Fairfax’s denials, Meredith Watson’s lawyer released a statement claiming she was also raped by a basketball player and, when she reported the attack to a school administrator, received no assistance.
The player’s name was not released nor was the name of the school administrator.
According to a report in The News & Observer in 1999, Duke went through a major reshuffling at its administrative level. Several administrators had the title of dean during at least part of that year.
“Mr. Fairfax has chosen to attack his victim again,” Watson’s lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, wrote in the statement, “now smearing her with the typical ‘she’s nuts’ defense. He revealed that Ms. Watson was the victim of a prior rape. That is true. Ms. Watson was raped by a basketball player during her sophomore year at Duke. She went to the Dean, who provided no help and discouraged her from pursuing the claim further. Ms. Watson also told friends, including Justin Fairfax.”
USA Today reported the alleged rape by the basketball player occurred in 1999. Duke University spokesman Keith Lawrence told USA Today the school is “looking into” the allegation. Attempts to reach Lawrence on Saturday were unsuccessful.
The statement from Watson’s attorney said Fairfax used knowledge of her prior rape to plan his own attack on her in 2000.
“She left a campus party when he arrived, and he followed her out,” Smith wrote in her statement. “She turned and asked: ‘Why did you do it?’ Mr. Fairfax answered: ‘I knew that because of what happened to you last year, you’d be too afraid to say anything.’ Mr. Fairfax actually used the prior rape of his ‘friend’ against her when he chose to rape her in a premeditated way.”
Fairfax denied Watson’s allegation in a statement Friday, The Washington Post reported, saying it was “demonstrably false. I have never forced myself on anyone ever.”
Lauren Burke, the Democratic lieutenant governor’s spokesperson, told the Post that Fairfax is “calling for an investigation on all of these matters.”
Fairfax faces calls from many fellow Democrats to resign after Watson’s accusation followed one by Scripps College professor Vanessa Tyson, who accused Fairfax of assaulting her at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, as the Post and others reported.
The Sanford School of Public Policy’s Visitors Board at Duke University is asking Fairfax to step down from his role as a member of the board, according to the Duke Chronicle. Fairfax served on the board from 2008 to 2014 and returned in 2015.
Virginia is already reeling from a political scandal since a photo of someone in blackface surfaced on Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page. Northam has denied that he is in the photo. If Northam steps down, Fairfax is next to line to become governor.
If both Fairfax and Northam resign, Attorney General Mark Herring would become governor. Herring has also admitted to wearing blackface in college.
Republican Kirk Cox, speaker of the Virginia House, would become governor if all three resign.
Staff writer Rashaan Ayesh contributed.
They sure took the heat off northam and blackface kkk photos. How convenient.
Duke basketball player named: Corey Maggette
Had Duke done due diligence at the time this part of story would be so different right now
But Duke did what Duke does
Ms. Watson was raped by a basketball player during her sophomore year at Duke. She went to the Dean, who provided no help and discouraged her from pursuing the claim further.
*an
I’m guessing neither Duke nor Watson will give up name of Dean up easily-each for different reasons
It is strange to publicly accuse Maggette and not name the Dean
It would add credence to her accusation, don’t you think?
I’m still in wait & see mode
Perhaps she’s holding back the Dean’s name in anticipation of a quiet out-of-court settlement. This is more bad PR for Duke, and tarnishes their high-profile basketball team.
March Madness, indeed.
If it turns out Coach K had any knowledge of accusation against Maggette- we know where that road will lead. There will be a different type of March Madness for my son, it won’t be pretty. I might just have to commit him 😬
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