Judge dismisses Coppin State from lawsuit that alleges sexual assault, blackmail by basketball staffer

BALTIMORE - A judge dismissed Coppin State University from a lawsuit that alleges blackmail and sexual assault from a member of the men's basketball staff, according to our media partner The Baltimore Banner.

A former basketball player accuses Lucian Brownlee, an assistant on former coach Juan Dixon's team, of blackmailing and sexually assaulting him. The player, identified by the Banner as Iba Williams, filed the lawsuit on Nov. 2 and alleges Coppin State failed to protect student-athletes.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa K. Copeland made the ruling based on various legal grounds on Monday at a hearing, according to The Banner, and said she would allow the complaint to be amended.  

Brownlee was a teammate of  Williams who went on to serve as director of player development at Coppin State.

The alleged incidents happened in the Fall of 2018, according to the Banner, when Williams claims that someone pretending to be a young woman on social media convinced him to send images of a "sexual nature," which he believed were "private and in the context of developing a romantic relationship," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that the person revealed that the young woman did not exist and told Williams that he would have to "submit to further demands or risk the public disclosure of the material." 

That blackmailer later directed Williams to "engage in sexual encounters" with Brownlee, who had since graduated and became part of the coaching staff, the lawsuit alleges, the Banner reports.

According to the Banner, the lawsuit claims the following: "Upon information and belief, the blackmailer was Coach Brownlee." The extortionist, the complaint asserts, revealed material to members of the men's basketball team as well as the public."

The lawsuit, obtained by the Banner, says that Dixon and the school's Athletics Director knew about the accusations.

According to the Banner, in the lawsuit, Coppin State questioned Williams about his past sexual experiences and orientation after he asked the school to conduct a review of the harassment, sexual assault and blackmail.

Dixon, a former Baltimore high school and University of Maryland basketball standout, left Coppin State in March after six seasons at the school.