Fight Back!
Sue a GWU Administrator, Personally
and Individually, Without any Lawyer

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      Now students who feel they have been wronged by any university administrator -- at George Washington University or at any other university in the District -- can fight back by bringing a legal action not against the university itself, bur rather against the administrator who wronged them.

     Yes, by filling out a simple agency complaint form you can download from the Internet, you can hold them individually and personally liable for all of your damages, including emotional distress, and you can do so without the need and expense of hiring a lawyer..  Read below for more info.
  The Human Rights Act of 1977 was created to end discrimination of all kinds in the nation's capital and stipulates that in D.C. an individual can bring legal action upon the specific individual who wronged them.

  Under the statute, any individual who provides "significant help" to the administrator, and the administrators themselves, are responsible for compensatory damages, emotional distress, willful action, punitive damages and attorney's fees. The Daily Colonial

Why was this web site established? This site was established because public interest law professor John Banzhaf is bringing a legal action against GWU Administrator Fitzroy Smith, and many students wanted to use the same legal technique to fight back against other GWU administrators.

Why shouldn't I just file a complaint within the university's complaint process?  Universities tend to look out for their own, and are unlikely to punish high administration officials for their wrongdoing.  Besides, you can file an agency legal complaint against the administrator in addition.
 
If I'm going to bring a legal action, why not bring it against the university as is normally done?  Universities as entities don't get very concerned about complaints filed against them, since they have lots of money and attorneys to defend themselves.

Then why should I bring a legal action against an administrator?  There are two reasons.  The first is that he or she took the wrongful action and harmed you.  The second is that individuals are much more likely to be concerned about -- and react to -- an individual legal action.

Why are individuals more concerned?  Persons served with legal actions in their personal capacity, seeking to hold them individually liable, are concerned not only about losing the action, but also about the effect the mere filing of a legal action can have on them.

Can I bring a legal action against an individual, rather than against the university?  Yes, the law in the District permits this; it has been done in a few situations in the past; and several court decisions have upheld the practice.  See the links above and below for more specific information.

But don't I need a lawyer to bring a complaint against an administrator?  No, all you have to do is to download a simple complaint form from the Internet, follow the instructions and the guide provided by the links below, and file it.  The agency will do most of the work for you.

xCHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE DETAILS AND COMPLETED LINKS TO THE INFORMATION YOU WILL NEED TO FILE YOUR OWN COMPLAINTS.  YOU WILL ALSO FIND LINKS SO THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE COMPLAINT FORMS YOU NEED.