U.C. Dorm Assault Lawsuit Raises Questions About Privately Owned Campus Housing

In 2023, a University of Cincinnati freshman was raped at The Deacon, an off-campus building used for student housing. The survivor, identified only by her first name – Chloe – believed she was living in university housing as she started her first year of college and planned to study architectural engineering.

Chloe and her parents were misled about safety at The Deacon, as the dorm was presented as university housing but was actually operated by a for-profit investment company and had known security issues. While the University of Cincinnati represented on their website that they handled security and maintenance at the Deacon, this was not true. Instead, U.C. passed the duty or security to the Deacon management, who then placed negligence security measures in place that were broken or insufficient. None of this was properly communicated to Chloe or her family before she arrived at what she believed to be a safe on campus dorm for her freshman year. Our legal team at Crandall & Pera Law, LLC is representing Chloe and her family in a lawsuit against the university and the owners of The Deacon.

Now, almost three years later, the University of Cincinnati is scheduled to go to trial in the Ohio Court of Claims in November 2026. The case against The Deacon was dismissed by the plaintiffs due to time constraints, but was refiled in June 2026. At Crandall & Pera Law, LLC, we know that speaking out and seeking accountability require a great deal of courage, and we’re committed to standing by Chloe throughout the legal process.

What happened at The Deacon?

When the University of Cincinnati’s on-campus housing filled up in 2023, 17-year-old freshman Chloe was assigned to live in the privately owned building, The Deacon. In August, Kadarius Short entered the building without authorization and posed as a resident assistant. He went into Chloe’s room, strangled her with a phone cord, and raped her. He then forced her to go to an ATM to withdraw money, which he took.

Chloe dropped out of the University of Cincinnati after her alleged sexual assault, and while she stated that eventually she’d like to go back to school, “right now, everything is kind of uncertain.”

Short was later convicted of rape and robbery and sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison.

What security failures are alleged?

The Deacon did not have the same security measures as on-campus dorms.

The lawsuit alleges that there were seven reports of sex crimes at The Deacon between 2019 and August 2023. Plus, there were “known security deficiencies.” Examples included key fobs that didn’t work and people using trash cans to prop doors open because of the access problem. Steve Crandall and Marc Pera, who are representing Chloe, states that Short entered without authorization often enough that security guards knew him by sight and had, on at least one occasion, removed him from the building.

Prior incidents, known trespassers, broken access systems, and ignored security warnings can all become important evidence in a negligent security case. Chloe’s lawsuits argue that her assault was preventable.

Why this case matters to students and parents

This fall, as many families get ready to send their kids off to college, some will assume university housing means that the university owns, manages and secures the building their child will live in. This lawsuit alleges that this might not be the case.

Prior to her first semester at the University of Cincinnati, Chloe requested to live in two or three dorms. The Deacon was not one of them; however, that’s where she was assigned. Crandall & Pera Law, LLC claims that the university’s housing website presented The Deacon as university housing. Additionally, housing payments were made to the university. However, security and maintenance issues were allegedly handled differently from those in on-campus residence halls.

The idea that a student looking for university housing might be assigned to a privately owned building controlled by owners, managers and security contractors, yet still make payments to the university, creates confusion for a resident and their parents if something goes wrong.

Parents deserve to know whether their child is being placed in a true university residence hall or a privately owned apartment building.

Who is responsible when a campus fails to provide basic security?

Colleges and universities may owe their students a duty of care, and when they ignore that duty, they can and should be held accountable.

An attacker is likely criminally responsible for an assault, but there may be others who failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a foreseeable attack.

In student housing cases, legal responsibility may depend on who owned, managed or controlled the building. Ohio law requires landlords to keep common areas safe and sanitary and to make necessary repairs to keep rental premises fit and habitable. Business owners may have a duty to warn or protect invitees from third-party criminal acts when the owner knows or should know there is a substantial risk of harm on premises it possesses and controls.

If a university markets or assigns a private building as student housing, the civil case may also examine what the school knew and what it told families.

When there are alleged prior warnings and known security problems, those facts can be central to a civil claim.

Why a criminal conviction may not be enough

A criminal case punishes the offender, protects public safety, and may result in prison time for the offender. It does not resolve whether property owners, managers, security companies, or others also failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a foreseeable assault. A civil case investigates who contributed to the harm and seeks compensation for the survivor.

Records under review will likely include:

• Prior incident reports
• Security logs
• Key fob repair records
• Camera footage
• Police calls
• Maintenance complaints
• Contracts between the university, the private housing company, management companies, and security providers
• Internal communications about building safety

Unlike a criminal case, a civil lawsuit can examine evidence to determine whether preventable security failures contributed to the assault and whether additional parties may be liable for the survivor’s injuries.

What should parents ask about campus housing?

Universities across the U.S. rely on private companies that own student housing and lease it to the schools. With Chloe’s lawsuit, she hopes to raise awareness about privately owned dorms that don’t have the same protections as on-campus dorms.

If you have a child considering college housing, ask these questions:

• Who owns the building?
• Who manages it?
• Is it university-owned or privately owned?
• Are campus police responsible for regular patrols?
• Who handles security inside the building?
• Are doors monitored when they are propped open?
• Do key fobs work at every access point?
• Who maintains locks, fobs and cameras?
• What prior crimes have been reported at the building?
• Is the building in the university police patrol area?
• Are students told when a building has different security from an on-campus dorm?

Students and their families have a right to know who owns and operates the buildings they’re placed in.

Contact an Ohio negligent security attorney

At Crandall & Pera Law, LLC, our attorneys are honored to stand with survivors and families in cases involving unsafe housing, negligent security, and institutions that fail to take reasonable steps to protect people from foreseeable harm.

If you or your child suffered harm because a university or college failed to provide safe housing or adequate security, contact Crandall & Pera Law, LLC today. Our attorneys are committed to holding institutions accountable when preventable security failures put students at risk. Reach out. We’re here to help.