Title IX Lawyer You can hold a Pennsylvania college or university accountable for mishandling sexual abuse.

Can you sue a college or university for sexual abuse in Pennsylvania?

Yes — and there are often two paths. Title IX is a federal law that bars sex discrimination, including sexual assault and harassment, at schools that receive federal funding, and it requires those schools to respond appropriately when they know about it. Separately, you may have a civil claim against the abuser and the institution under Pennsylvania law. A civil case is also independent of the campus disciplinary process and of any criminal case — you do not need a conviction or a finding from the school to pursue it.

College is supposed to be where a young adult becomes independent, not where an institution looks away from harm. When a university learns that a student was assaulted by another student, a professor, a coach, or a staff member and responds with delay, indifference, or retaliation, the law gives the survivor real leverage. Title IX and a civil claim can work together to hold the school accountable and recover compensation.

Who is legally responsible under Title IX?

The person who committed the abuse is responsible for it. But a college or university can also be held accountable when its own response made things worse or left a student exposed. An institution can face liability when it was negligent or indifferent in ways such as:

• Deliberate indifference — knowing about an assault or harassment and failing to respond reasonably.
• Ignoring or mishandling reports — burying complaints, discouraging students from reporting, or botching the Title IX process.
• Retaliation — punishing, isolating, or pushing out a student who reported.
• Negligent hiring, supervision, and retention — employing or keeping a professor, coach, or staff member despite complaints or warning signs.
• Failure to protect — leaving a known risk in place, such as housing a survivor near their abuser or doing nothing about a repeat offender.

Whether your strongest path is Title IX, a civil claim, or both depends on the facts — and identifying every responsible party is part of what an experienced attorney does. Learn how institutions are held liable →

Types of Title IX and campus abuse cases we handle

Survivors of Abuse PA represents students in cases involving sexual assault, abuse, and harassment at colleges and universities across Pennsylvania — public and private, including cases involving other students, professors, coaches, advisors, and staff, as well as fraternity and sorority settings, athletics, dorms, and study-abroad or off-campus programs. Cases often involve a school that mishandled a report, retaliated against a survivor, or failed to act on a known risk. (K-12 cases fall under school abuse.) If you are unsure whether what happened “counts,” it costs nothing to ask.

How long do you have to act in Pennsylvania?

Title IX and civil claims each have their own deadlines, and Pennsylvania’s civil deadlines have changed in recent years — so the safest step is to confirm yours directly. How long you have depends on which path applies, your age, when the abuse happened, the school’s internal timelines, and other facts. Some Title IX and administrative steps can have short windows, while civil deadlines depend on facts that have been the subject of ongoing reform in Harrisburg. Because a missed deadline can end a valid claim, we do not list a single number here.

What matters is this: acting sooner protects your options, and even older abuse may still be within a deadline. A free, confidential call with Ashley DiLiberto gives you a clear answer about your specific situation — at no cost and no obligation. (SOL-REVIEW: confirm current PA limitations and Title IX timing language with the attorney before go-live.)

What to do if you experienced campus abuse

Your safety comes first. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You can report to campus police and the school’s Title IX office, and to local police — but be aware that how and when you report can affect your options, so it is worth talking to an attorney early. For free, confidential support 24/7, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 1-800-656-4673, and RAINN’s online chat is available as well. When you are ready, a civil attorney can explain your Title IX and legal options privately and at no cost. Try to keep copies of reports, emails, and messages.

Compensation in a Title IX or campus abuse case

Depending on the path, relief can include changes the school must make, and a civil claim can seek compensation for things like therapy and counseling, lost tuition or educational opportunity, medical care, lost income, and pain and suffering. Many cases also force the institution to fix how it handles reports and protects students. Survivors of Abuse PA handles civil claims on contingency: there is no cost unless we win. Past results never guarantee a future outcome; each case is judged on its own facts.