Former Yale Student Accused of Rape Pursues Legal Action Against Accuser

Saifullah Khan, accused of rape in 2015 but acquitted in 2018, can now sue his accuser for statements made during a school hearing after a Connecticut Supreme Court decision (Photo: nytimes)

Challenging ‘Qualified Immunity’ in the Accused of Rape Case

According to dailycaller.com, Saifullah Khan, a former Yale student who was accused of rape in 2015 but acquitted in 2018, is now pursuing legal action against his accuser, who made statements about him during a school hearing. This decision, rendered by the Connecticut Supreme Court in June, follows Khan’s prior lawsuit against Yale for $110 million in 2019, in which he sought to include his accuser, who had accused him of rape, as a defendant, according to the Post.

The court ruled that the accuser, who had accused Khan of rape, could not invoke “qualified immunity,” which typically protects people from being sued for what they say during legal or quasi-legal cases. The court’s rationale centered on the university hearing, where the accusations of rape were made, failing to meet the standards of a “quasi-judicial” case due to Khan’s inability to question his accuser, who accused him of rape.

In such cases, the court argued, fairness necessitates that both parties, including the one accused of rape, have the opportunity to pose questions. Throughout the hearing, Khan’s legal team, who was accused of rape, could only listen to the accuser’s words from a separate room, precluding direct communication. Additionally, the court highlighted that the hearing didn’t require the accuser, who accused Khan of rape, to take an oath to speak truthfully or provide Khan’s side, who was accused of rape, with a documented record of what she said.

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Academic Journey Disrupted for Student Accused of Rape

Saifullah Khan, a young man from Afghanistan who had come to Yale on a scholarship to pursue his passion for neuroscience had his dreams shattered when he faced accusations of rape. Despite his legal team’s argument that the encounter was consensual his life took a difficult turn. Initially suspended, he was later allowed to return to his studies after being acquitted of the rape charges in 2018.

However his life took another painful twist when he confronted another allegation of sexual assault in 2018. This ultimately led to his expulsion in 2019, following a university committee’s determination of his responsibility for sexual assault in the 2015 case. Now, as Khan’s lawyer, he faces the daunting prospect of a trial all the while dealing with the weight of being accused of rape, while the accuser’s legal team remains silent on the recent ruling.

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