Expelled Purdue Student May Use Pseudonym in Suit Against School

A former Purdue University student may use the pseudonym “John Doe” in his civil rights suit alleging he was wrongly expelled based on false accusations of sexual misconduct, the Northern District of Indiana said.

The plaintiff overcame the strong presumption that a litigant’s name should be a matter of public record by showing that the harm to his reputation exceeds the likely harm from concealing his identity, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana said.

The complaint alleges that a consensual sexual interaction occurred between the plaintiff and a female student on Aug. 16, 2018, after which ...