Court: Sex With Co-Worker Not University Job Duty

An Oregon appeals court has rejected an appeal from a former Eastern Oregon University administrator who wants the state to pay his costs defending himself from a suit he won that accused him of raping a co-worker at a conference they attended for work, The Oregonian reported. The former administrator contends that the two had consensual sex after drinking. The appeals court did not weigh in on the claims of the co-worker or the former administrator, and assumed for legal purposes that his version (consensual sex) was correct. But the appeals court said he was not entitled to reimbursement from the state based on his claim that he was at the conference for work-related reasons, and so should be reimbursed for legal expenses. The appeals court ruled that the administrator "was not hired to engage in sexual conduct with other employees." Further, the court ruled, that there was "no evidence" that the administrator, "in engaging in sexual conduct with plaintiff, was motivated by a purpose to serve EOU."