Jurors ruled Baylor University was negligent and in violation of Title IX in a federal civil trial Tuesday brought forward by former student Dolores Lozano. Lozano filed a lawsuit in 2016 against the university, ex-football coach Art Briles and ex-athletic director Ian McCaw, claiming negligence from all three parties perpetuated multiple incidents of abuse by former Bears running back Devin Chafin. Claims against Briles and McCaw were dismissed by a federal judge after testifying in court last week.
Lozano was awarded $270,000 for the negligence claim. She did not receive compensation for the Title IX violation.
"After all this time it was never about me, or just Baylor, and it was definitely never about the money," Lozano told ESPN. "It was about all the women across college campuses who go unheard. I want to tell them I see you, I hear you, and I'm standing for you and this was about all of us."
Lozano claimed she was put at risk for assault after Baylor failed to implement Title IX and address sexual violence at large. She also claimed the three defendants failed to respond to a report of Chafin's behavior, thus subjecting her to additional abuse. Chafin was a member of the Bears football program from 2012-15 before he was dismissed ahead of the 2016 season after allegations of abuse first came to public light.
Briles testified on Oct. 19 that he was unaware of the domestic violence allegations until the lawsuit was filed. Briles made the claim despite documentation of several staff members having knowledge of the situation prior to the legal action, according to ESPN. In total, he contended the following:
- He was unaware of Title IX when he was hired at Baylor
- He did not receive Title IX training until 2014
- He was never informed by the staffers who allegedly had knowledge of assault allegations against Chafin before a lawsuit was filed
- He was unaware Chafin was arrested on DUI chrarges in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 2012
Lozano is among multiple former female Baylor students who have filed complaints and lawsuits against the university stemming from the sexual assault scandal that rocked the program in 2016. Briles was fired as a result of the saga, while McCaw resigned and president Ken Starr was stripped of his title. Starr died in 2022.
Briles has not coached collegiately since his dismissal from Baylor, where he guided the Bears for eight seasons and captured two Big 12 championships. He did return to the high school coaching ranks in the state of Texas at Mount Vernon from 2019-20. Briles was hired as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State ahead of the 2022 season, but resigned just days later amid intense backlash. McCaw is now the athletic director at Liberty, a position he has held since 2016.
