Alleged victim's lawyer rebuts claim her father made racist rant about UW wide receiver Cephus

An attorney for one of the alleged victims in the Quintez Cephus sexual assault case on Thursday denied that her father engaged in a "racist rant" about the suspended Badgers wide receiver during a meeting with university officials.

Lester Pines, a well-known Madison lawyer, responded extensively to Cephus' claims in a two-page guest editorial sent to news outlets and in a follow-up interview.

"Think about it from my client's point of view," he said. "She was traumatized by sexual assault, made a complaint to police and university. One was promptly investigated and one was delayed. It was stressful. Now, a lawsuit calls her father a racist."

They did not want to have the case tried in the media, he said, but "we had to speak out because it's just not true."

Cephus, 20, of Macon, Georgia, was charged Aug. 20 with one count of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim and one count of third-degree sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Last week, he sued university officials in federal court, alleging he was the victim of racial discrimination and due process violations. The suit said the father of one of the alleged victims met with Title IX officials in late July and went on a "racist rant" about Cephus while pressing for quicker action on his daughter's complaint.

RELATED:Suspended Badger Quintez Cephus sues university officials over the timing of disciplinary action

Pines said his client's father was concerned about the investigation, but didn't "lobby" for it since it was already underway and did not make any kind of racial comments about Cephus.

"We were absolutely gobsmacked by this; it came out of nowhere," Pines said.

He said he was having continued contact over several weeks with both the Dane County district attorney's office and the university. He said the Title IX staff was waiting for police reports, but that after Pines learned in late June that the DA intended to file charges in about a month, he explained to the Title IX office that it would have to proceed with its own investigation without the benefit of the police reports.

Pines also questioned Cephus' characterization of the father of the alleged victim as a prominent alumnus and benefactor to UW-Madison who somehow had extra influence on the Title IX staff.

Pines said he thought any parent of a student making a complaint of sexual assault to the Title IX office who had competent legal counsel could get the same kind of meeting on the status of the investigation.

Pines said there is "no substance" to Cephus' claims that he was the victim of racial discrimination or denied due process during the university's Title IX review.

He noted that if the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards concludes Cephus assaulted the other students and recommends discipline — such as the expulsion his lawyers expect — he can have a full due process hearing on both the finding and the punishment.