https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2 ... all-player
Justin Fairfax accuser says she was also raped by Duke men’s basketball player
By Bre Bradham | 02/09/2019
On Friday, Duke alumna Meredith Watson became the second woman to accuse Justin Fairfax, lieutenant governor of Virginia and Trinity ‘00, of sexually assaulting her.
Watson, Trinity ‘01, claimed Fairfax raped her when they were undergraduate students. Fairfax denied the allegation. A follow-up statement from Watson’s legal representative released Friday pushed back on Fairfax’s denial and claimed that Watson had been raped before the alleged assault by Fairfax.
The statement said that the alleged previous rape had occurred during her sophomore year by an unnamed Duke basketball player, and that Watson had told Fairfax about it.
“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,” the statement said.
“Ms. Watson also told friends, including Justin Fairfax.”
Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, wrote in an email Saturday that Duke learned of the allegations Friday night as they became public.
“The university is looking into the matter and will have no further comment at this time,” Schoenfeld wrote.
When asked about the allegation before the men’s basketball game against Virginia Saturday, Jon Jackson, deputy director of men’s basketball and athletics, declined to comment.
When asked Saturday night which basketball player Watson was referencing, Erin Friedlander of Evergreen Partners—the group issuing the statement on behalf of Watson—said the firm was “only providing the information contained in our statements at this time.”
Fairfax has denied both of the allegations against him, calling Watson’s claim “demonstrably false.” The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and multiple Democratic presidential candidates have called on him to resign.
Fairfax claimed that he had a consensual encounter with the first woman to accuse him—Vanessa Tyson, now a fellow at Stanford—who said he forced her to perform oral sex on him while they were working at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
The allegations come as Virginia’s state politics continue to swirl, after Gov. Ralph Northam admitted to and then denied being in a photo showing a person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit and a person in blackface that was on his page in his medical school yearbook.
Fairfax has demanded an investigation and denied the accusation.
“I demand a full investigation into these unsubstantiated and false allegations,” he said, according to the New York Times. “Such an investigation will confirm my account because I am telling the truth.”
Watson’s first statement outlined her accusation, saying that the details were similar to Tyson’s and that she was friends with Fairfax as an undergraduate.
“At this time, Ms. Watson is reluctantly coming forward out of a strong sense of civic duty and her belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character,” the first statement said.
At Duke, Fairfax was a Reginaldo Howard Scholar and a Young Trustee.
On Friday, the University announced it was asking Fairfax to step down from the Sanford School of Public Policy’s Board of Visitors pending the resolution of the allegations.
“I am writing to let you know that Justin Fairfax will be asked to step down from the Sanford School Board of Visitors pending the resolution of the serious and deeply distressing allegations that have been made against him,” wrote Judith Kelley, dean of the Sanford School, in an email to the Sanford community Friday night. “Sexual assault is abhorrent and unfortunately can occur right around us. I urge everyone to take survivors of sexual assault seriously, and to help build an environment that is safe and supportive for everyone.”
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as they become available.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include the comment from Friedlander.
I wonder who the dean was.