Parents of former KU rower file suit against school alleging campus housing is unsafe

The parents of a former University of Kansas rower have filed suit against KU for misleading representations about the safety of campus housing.

In the civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Douglas County District Court, James and Amanda Tackett claimed that their daughter, Daisy, was sexually assaulted by a KU football player in fall of 2014 at Jayhawker Towers apartments. They said their daughter also was harassed by the same student the following year.

The lawsuit does not name the KU football player.

“We feel the University cannot say their campus and their dorms are safe unless they really are safe,” Amanda Tackett said in a statement. “In addition to the horrific assault of our daughter, we are concerned for the safety of all students at KU. We believe there are many more victims of on-campus crimes in the dorms. Had we known this, we would not have considered KU as an option.”

The Tacketts’ lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, is attempting to hold KU accountable under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU’s director for news and media relations, said the Tacketts’ suggestion that the school’s residence halls were unsafe was “baseless.”

“This lawsuit inaccurately portrays the environment at the University of Kansas,” Barcomb-Peterson said, “and our ongoing efforts to ensure students are safe and aware of their surroundings.”

In a report from the Dallas Morning News, Daisy said she was ostracized by the rowing team after she later reported the alleged sexual assault to the KU office of institutional opportunity and access. She also told the Morning News she was left in Lawrence during one of the team’s trips to Florida.

After two years at KU, Daisy transferred from the school and moved back to Florida.

A spokesperson for KU Athletics declined to comment on the accusations against the rowing team, citing the pending litigation.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Parents of former KU rower file suit against school alleging campus housing is unsafe."