RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A former Duke University lacrosse player sued the university Thursday alleging that one of his professors unfairly gave him a failing grade because he was a member of the team. Kyle Dowd graduated in May 2006, two months after a woman said she was raped by three of his teammates at a lacrosse party. The allegations set off a tumultuous few weeks in Durham, with almost daily protests by people who criticized lacrosse team members for a pattern of rowdy behavior.
Dowd, who was not charged in the case, claims in his lawsuit that visiting professor Kim Curtis gave him an F in a politics and literature class that nearly prevented him from graduating, even though he had earned C's on his assignments to that point.
"Defendant Curtis engaged in extreme outrageous and unethical conduct ... due to personal bias and prejudice," the lawsuit says.
The university later changed Dowd's grade to a D, citing a calculation error.
He and his parents ask in the lawsuit for the grade to be changed to a "P" for passing.
Dowd and his parents, Patricia and Benjamin Dowd, are asking for a total of $60,000 in punitive and compensatory damages. The lawsuit was filed in Durham Superior Court.
University officials declined to comment, saying they had not yet seen the suit.
Lacrosse players Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and Dave Evans still face charges of sexual offense and kidnapping in the case. Rape charges were dropped last month after the accuser wavered in her account of key details in the case.
