Yes. A former student can sue the alleged attacker in civil court and can often sue the school when the school failed to protect students. A civil sexual-assault case is a private lawsuit for money damages, separate from a criminal prosecution. According to TMSPN's Oct.
27, 2026 report, Jane Doe sued Marcellus Wiley in Los Angeles County on Oct. 27, 2026 over an alleged 1999 hotel rape when she was a 22-year-old USC student. According to the Columbia Spectator's Nov. 22, 2023 coverage, former Columbia student Janine de Novais sued Wiley in New York Supreme Court in Nov. 2023 over an alleged fall 1994 dorm assault and also named Columbia for allegedly failing to protect students.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Pagesix — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official notice from Balleralert — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- What the Wiley cases allege
- Can you sue the school too?
- How decades-old claims reached court
- What to check before you act
What the Wiley cases allege
The early Columbia case focused on one alleged freshman-dorm assault from fall 1994. Page Six reported that Wiley was then a sophomore football star. Baller Alert later reported a wider group of at least seven women.
That reporting described two 2025 suits about 1994 Columbia incidents and an April 2026 New York complaint by four accusers, including a former ESPN production assistant, covering alleged 1995-2009 incidents. The claims remain allegations. TMSPN and Awful Announcing report that the 1999 complainant says she had an exam and police report, prosecutors declined charges in April 1999 after Wiley denied her account, and Wiley denies all claims.
Can you sue the school too?
Yes, when the facts support it. The Columbia lawsuit named both Wiley and Columbia University for alleged negligence and reckless failure to protect students. That two-target approach is common.
Steven M. Sweat Personal Injury Lawyers explain that California civil sexual-assault cases can target the alleged perpetrator plus a negligent school, employer, or property owner for damages. The same idea applies to a coach. A former student can sue the individual accused of assault and can add the school or employer when poor hiring, supervision, housing security, or response to complaints helped enable harm.
How decades-old claims reached court
Old claims usually fail because filing deadlines pass. New York and California created temporary revival windows for adult sexual-offense claims. The Spectator reports that New York's Adult Survivors Act opened a one-year lookback from Nov. 24, 2022 to Nov. 24, 2023.
The Columbia suit was filed days before that window closed. According to Compass Law Group's summary of AB 2777, California revived certain time-barred adult sexual-assault claims from Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec. 31, 2026, including claims against institutional defendants. That revival created the procedural path for a 1999 allegation filed in 2026.
What to check before you act
Revival windows have strict end dates. New York's one-year window has closed, while California's AB 2777 window runs through Dec. 31, 2026 for covered claims.
A civil case uses a lower proof standard than a criminal case. Steven M. Sweat Personal Injury Lawyers explain that civil cases use preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt. Ask a licensed attorney in the filing state about the current deadline before you assume a window still applies.
- Write down dates, places, witnesses, and what happened while memory is fresh.
- Keep medical, school, housing, police, message, photo, and work records tied to the incident.
- Ask a licensed personal-injury attorney in the filing state whether your claim and defendant fit an open law.