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Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors two-way forward Anthony Lamb has been named in a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the University of Vermont, which alleges the university violated Title IX by mishandling procedures for reporting sexual harassment and violence on campus.
Lamb is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed by Kendall Ware, who is a plaintiff in the civil case. Two other women joined the suit, but their cases are separate and do not involve Division I student-athletes (one was a club athlete). Ware, who was a swimmer at UVM, has previously spoken about the alleged incident.
The university, its board of trustees and several officials in the Title IX office and athletic department are defendants in the filing.
“Anthony is not a defendant in this recent lawsuit and, to our knowledge, has never been charged with any wrongdoing in any legal case,” the Warriors said in a statement. “Prior to signing Anthony in September, we did our due diligence with the NBA and his prior teams, as we do with all players. If any new information comes to light, we will certainly evaluate and act accordingly.”
Ware, who according to the suit had a six-month relationship with Lamb, alleges that Lamb raped her in fall 2019. There is no record that Ware reported the alleged incident to the police, and Lamb was never criminally charged.
The lawsuit claims that the athletic department reached out to Ware but “dissuaded Ware from seeking a formal investigation” and that university officials failed to properly investigate her claims. This resulted in Lamb remaining on the men’s basketball team and kept him from “[facing] any meaningful consequences for his actions.”
Ware stated that she was misled by the various options the school presented for investigation and that Lamb ended up signing a “resolution agreement” for an informal process that required Lamb to not contact Ware and refrain from a limited set of activities and locations. “The Resolution Agreement then closed the investigation into Lamb ‘without making any finding as to whether he violated UVM Policy,'” the lawsuit states. University Title IX investigations typically conclude with a finding as to whether the accused student was or was not responsible for the act of sexual violence.
“The allegation made against me in 2019 that have recently resurfaced are patently false,” Lamb said in a statement on Thursday.” I have always been fully cooperative regarding the alleged incident, and have welcomed any investigation into the matter. Simply put, I have never committed sexual assault.”
“We were sorry to learn of the individual situations that each of these plaintiffs recounted and we want all survivors to know that they are heard, supported, and respected,” the University of Vermont said in a statement. “We stand behind our strong procedures and protocols, and the support provided by the dedicated individuals who perform this work with the highest degree of professionalism, integrity, and care. Even though an independent review last year found that UVM met or exceeded all benchmarks around sexual misconduct response, we have implemented numerous changes to our protocols. Meeting Title IX requirements is a given, but we strive to provide more for UVM students as part of our unwavering commitment to a safe and healthy campus.”