Ex-student files lawsuit against Nova Scotia university after alleged sex assault

A student who says she was sexually assaulted while attending St. Francis Xavier University in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia school.

A student who says she was sexually assaulted while attending St. Francis Xavier University in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia school.

The lawsuit, submitted Monday to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, alleges the university in Antigonish, N.S., failed in its duty to protect sexual abuse survivors victimized by a student athlete despite repeated calls to do something.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

A statement of claim alleges the former student — whose identity is protected by a publication ban — was living in a residence on campus when another student living on campus sexually assaulted her on Sept. 25, 2022.

Omogbolahan Jegede, a former football player with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, was charged in April with sexually assaulting four students, including the plaintiff, in 2022 and 2023. Jegede’s trial has not yet taken place, and he has elected to be tried by judge and jury.

The plaintiff’s statement of claim says that prior to charges being laid, she and two other students asked university officials to ban the accused from campus. It says the university banned him from student residences but allowed him to attend on-campus classes and use the school’s facilities. A total ban wasn’t imposed until charges were laid earlier this year.

The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages from the university.