University of Arizona attorneys request consolidation in Title IX lawsuits

Attorneys for the Arizona Board of Regents have filed a motion to consolidate witness interviews in two federal lawsuits filed by abuse victims of former running back Orlando Bradford.

The lawsuits, filed in October and January, say that officials at the University of Arizona knew that Bradford had been violent with a previous girlfriend — also a UA student — but failed to take reasonable action to prevent him from abusing other women.

Bradford was arrested in September 2016 after his girlfriend told police that he repeatedly beat and choked her over a two-day period and for several months before that.

Following media reports of Bradford’s arrest, a second woman came forward to say that she had also been beaten and choked by Bradford for several months.

Bradford was indicted on 15 charges in connection with the incidents and ultimately pleaded guilty to two felony counts of domestic violence-related aggravated assault.

He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Months before Bradford’s arrest, another woman reported his violent behavior to UA police, saying that he’d previously hit and choked her. The school issued a no-contact order and banned Bradford from the woman’s residence hall, according to the lawsuits.

The lawsuits say that school officials acted with deliberate indifference and violated the women’s Title IX rights to an education free from sexual harassment and abuse.

On May 15, attorneys for ABOR filed a motion to consolidate discovery in the cases “as a matter of justice and judicial economy,” the motion says.

“Since the cases are based on the same actions or inactions taken by the UA, the plaintiffs will likely seek to depose many of the same UA witnesses,” the motion says, specifying that the consolidation be for the “limited purpose” of depositions of common witnesses.

While one of the women’s attorneys has no objection to consolidation of the defense witness depositions, the second woman’s attorney is opposed to the consolidation, the motion says.

Litigation in the two cases is expected to continue for at least the next several months, according to schedules previously set by the court.