News Archive

A July 15 report issued by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice, critical of the FBI's Indianapolis field office, leaves more questions than answers, according to a story by the Indianapolis Star.

Those who can help explain the roles and motivations of key agents cited in the report — which found misconduct including lying and ethical breaches in connection with the failure to follow up on 2015 reports about sexual abuse allegations against longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar — aren't talking, the Indy Star reported.

The story quotes IU McKinney Law Professor Jennifer Drobac, who said that the inaction detailed in the report undermines the public trust in law enforcement and perpetuates a long-standing problem surrounding sexual abuse cases within the criminal justice system.

“It’s already true that women feel unheard, that they don't report because they think that they won't be believed, or that no one will do anything, or that no good results will come from a report," Professor Drobac said.

"And this type of thing merely reinforces that current belief. And so you can have all the #metoo exposure that you want, but if law enforcement doesn't act upon the allegations and the information responsibly, then you're not going to have much progress. And what's really heartbreaking in all of this is that there were more victims because officers did not respond responsibly to the allegations being made,” she said.

Professor Drobac is a widely known expert in sexual harassment law. She is an author of the textbook, Sexual Harassment Law: History, Cases and Practice, recently published by Carolina Academic Press. She co-authored the book with Professor Carrie N. Baker of Smith College and Professor Rigel C. Oliveri of the University of Missouri School of Law. Professor Drobac is at work on her next book, The Myth of Consent, which is under contract with Cambridge University Press. That work will explore the neuroscience of adult decision making and how the science should influence law reform, particularly the law of consent. She is a Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law.