Judge Pratt Dismisses Indiana University Title IX Suit
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- Judge Pratt dismissed the Title IX lawsuit on Tuesday, ruling the plaintiffs’ claim was time‑barred under Indiana’s two‑year statute of limitations.
- Plaintiffs filed the suit in October 2024, alleging that former team physician Dr. Bradford Bomba gave rectal exams that constituted sexual misconduct in the 1980s‑90s.
- Plaintiffs argued the clock should start when they learned in 2024 that Bomba’s exams violated Title IX, but Pratt noted they had known the allegations were “widely known among university staff” decades earlier.
- Pratt distinguished the case from the 2018 Ohio State decision involving Dr. Richard Strauss, stating the Indiana court is not bound by that ruling and that knowledge of conduct, not of unlawfulness, triggers the limitations period.
- Bomba died in May 2024 at age 89, was not a named defendant, and an outside university investigation cleared him of sexual misconduct last year.
- Tim Garl was named as a defendant and the university announced it would not renew his contract for a 45th season.
Why it matters: The ruling shields Indiana University from potential liability and ends the players’ legal avenue to seek redress, while reinforcing a narrow interpretation of the statute of limitations that may constrain future Title IX claims where plaintiffs only later recognize misconduct as unlawful.
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