PITTSBURGH – A student at the University of Pittsburgh's law school alleges that she lost educational opportunities and benefits because of the university's failure to maintain an environment free of sex discrimination.
Hannah Rullo filed a complaint on Oct. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education alleging a hostile education environment, sex discrimination and retaliation.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff began her studies at the defendant's law school in August 2015 and began a relationship with another student, Leonel Enrique Mendieta, who was also in the law program. She alleges she was assaulted by Mendieta in her apartment on Sept. 2, 2016, but when police arrived, Mendieta told the police the plaintiff had assaulted him and the plaintiff was arrested. The suit states the charges were later dropped.
The plaintiff alleges that after the incident, she faced retaliation from the defendant through hostile treatment and that she was "subjected to sexual harassment, sex discrimination and retaliation that were so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that she was denied access to educational opportunities and benefits at defendant university."
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against the defendant, compensatory damages, court costs and any further relief the court grants. She is represented by Christian Bagin of Weinand & Bagin in Pittsburgh and Neil L. Henrichsen and Helen H. Albee of Henrichsen Siegel PLLC in Jacksonville, Florida.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 2:17-cv-01380-MPK