The former quarterback of the University of Montana has reached a settlement with the state of Montana, which calls for him to drop allegations that the school mishandled an investigation into a claim that he raped a female student.
Jordan Johnson was an up-and-coming football when a fellow student accused him of sexual assault in 2012. Initially, the campus disciplinary board suspended him and he was removed from the football team. However, Montana Higher Education Commissioner Clayton Christian vacated the ruling for what some deemed unexplained reasons. Johnson was allowed to return to the football team and later acquitted in a criminal trial in Missoula County District Court.
Johnson and his lawyer, David Paoli, issued a statement placing most of the blame on former University of Montana Dean of Students Charles Couture, claiming he “predetermined a false accusation as one of guilt and then proceeded to act as a biased investigator, prosecutor and judge in spite of being required by all rules and regulations to be impartial and provide fairness and equal treatment in the process.”
Paoli went on to suggest that UM legal counsel David Aronofsky and President Royce Engstrom enabled Couture, who he alleged destroyed potential evidence by deleting files related to Johnson from his computer
“The claims arise out of these individuals’ improper and unjust treatment of Johnson when Johnson was falsely accused in February 2012 and Couture initiated a student conduct code process which he and Aronofsky unfairly ran,” he said.
Dave Cockrell, the Kalispell, Montana attorney who served as outside counsel for the university, issued his own statement to the media.
“While the university did agree to settle, we disagree with the statements Mr. Johnson and his attorney made yesterday about how the case was mishandled,” he said. “With the number of factual disputes between the parties involved, we decided it was in the state and university system’s best interest to attempt to settle the claims, and were able to do so successfully.”
