Statesman prevails in court fight for UT records

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A Travis County state District Court judge has ruled that the public has a right to see disciplinary records of University of Texas students accused of sex crimes.

The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman sought the records as part of a larger investigation by the USA Today Network into sex offenses by college athletes. The investigation, published in December without the UT documents, identified at least 28 current and former athletes nationwide who were allowed to transfer to NCAA schools since 2014 despite being disciplined for a sexual offense at another college.

Statesman Executive Editor John Bridges said: “We hope that this serves as a lesson to the university and to other public agencies who seek to skirt the open records act and withhold important information from the public. This ruling and the release of these records will further the public’s interest and will help us hold the university accountable and help ensure student safety.”

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FOI, Austin American-Statesman