I’m Todd Spodek, and I’ve defended students at Emory, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and every other Atlanta-area school where Title IX accusations destroy futures before graduation. The 2024 Biden administration regulations that took effect August 1, 2024, require live hearings with cross-examination under 34 CFR § 106.45, but here’s what they don’t tell you: universities manipulate the preponderance standard to mean “believe the accuser” while using “trauma-informed” techniques that treat any inconsistency in the complainant’s story as proof of trauma rather than deception. Your school gets $500 million in federal funding they’ll lose if they don’t show they’re “tough” on sexual misconduct. Guess whose future they’ll sacrifice to keep that money flowing.

The Single Investigator Model Trap Nobody Explains

Atlanta universities love the single investigator model because one person serves as detective, prosecutor, judge, and jury. They interview witnesses using leading questions designed to support predetermined outcomes. When respondents point out contradictions, investigators write “respondent was defensive” in reports. When complainants can’t remember basic facts, investigators write “consistent with trauma response.” I’ve seen investigators at Georgia Tech refuse to ask obvious follow-up questions that would help respondents because they’ve already decided guilt before the investigation started.

The investigator creates a report that becomes gospel truth at the hearing. Panel members read this biased report and form opinions before hearing any testimony. By the time you get to the hearing, you’re not presumed innocent – you’re fighting uphill against an official finding that you’re probably guilty. The new regulations require schools to share evidence, but they bury exculpatory evidence in thousands of pages of irrelevant documents uploaded at 4:59 PM the day before your deadline to respond.

Why School-Appointed Advisors Are Worse Than No Advisor

Under 34 CFR § 106.45(b)(1)(iv), schools must provide advisors for cross-examination if you don’t have one. These advisors are often university employees or local attorneys who get repeat business from the school. They won’t ask hard questions that embarrass the university. They won’t challenge biased panel members. They definitely won’t point out procedural violations that could trigger OCR complaints or lawsuits.

I watched a school-appointed advisor at Emory literally apologize to the complainant before asking mandatory cross-examination questions. Another at Georgia State refused to ask about text messages showing the complainant bragging about the encounter hours before reporting it as assault. These advisors protect the school’s interests, not yours. They ensure the hearing looks fair on paper while guaranteeing you lose.

The Parallel Criminal Investigation Nightmare

When Title IX complaints involve potential crimes, Atlanta universities immediately notify law enforcement. Now you’re facing two investigations with different standards, different timelines, and contradictory defense strategies. Anything you say to the Title IX investigator gets shared with APD, DeKalb Police, or campus police. But criminal discovery protections don’t apply to Title IX proceedings, so prosecutors get your entire defense strategy before you even know criminal charges are coming.

Fulton County prosecutors love these cases because the university does their investigation for free. They get witness statements, text messages, social media records – all without probable cause or search warrants. If you refuse to participate in the Title IX process, the school finds you responsible for “failure to cooperate.” If you do participate, you’re creating evidence for criminal prosecution. I’ll coordinate both defenses so you’re not confessing to a crime while trying to save your education.

The Hidden Permanent Record Nobody Mentions

Schools tell you Title IX findings are “educational records” protected by FERPA. That’s technically true but meaningless. Graduate schools require disclosure of disciplinary actions. Professional licensing boards access these records. Background check companies like HireRight now search the National Student Clearinghouse that tracks disciplinary notations. A Title IX responsibility finding follows you forever, even if you transfer schools.

Worse, the Department of Education’s Clery Act requires schools to publish annual statistics of sexual offenses. Your case becomes a permanent statistic tied to your graduation year and program. Employers googling “[University] sexual assault 2025 engineering” find articles about your case without your name but with enough details for anyone who knew you to identify you. The notation might be “confidential,” but the damage is public and permanent.

How “Trauma-Informed” Means “Guilty Until Proven Innocent”

Title IX investigators receive training that memory inconsistencies indicate trauma, not lying. Complainants who can’t remember what happened before or after an alleged assault are believed because “trauma affects memory.” But respondents who can’t remember details are lying. Complainants who waited months to report are believed because “trauma affects reporting timing.” But respondents who don’t immediately provide alibis are hiding something.

This pseudoscience comes from training materials that explicitly state “believe survivors” and “start by believing.” I’ve deposed investigators who admit they begin investigations assuming complaints are true. They’re trained that false accusations are “extremely rare” (they cite 2-8% but ignore that 40-50% of cases have insufficient evidence either way). When your investigator believes accusers before investigating, you’ve already lost unless you have an attorney who knows how to expose this bias.

The Specific Ways Atlanta Schools Railroad Students

Emory University: Uses the Office of Respect for “restorative justice” that requires admitting wrongdoing before participating. They pressure respondents to accept “informal resolution” that still results in permanent records.

Georgia Tech: Their VOICE initiative trains investigators that “affirmative consent can be withdrawn retroactively through trauma response.” They literally teach that regretted sex becomes assault if someone feels traumatized later.

Georgia State: Routinely denies respondents the right to submit expert witnesses about memory, intoxication, or false allegations while allowing complainants’ therapists to testify about “trauma symptoms.”

Morehouse/Spelman: The Atlanta University Center shares investigators who handle multiple campuses, creating conflicts when students from different schools are involved.

Why Male Respondents Lose 88% of Cases

Studies of Title IX outcomes show male respondents found responsible in approximately 88% of cases that reach hearings. This isn’t because most accusations are true – it’s because the process is designed for that outcome. Schools fear OCR investigations for not supporting complainants but face minimal risk for railroading respondents. The Biden administration’s 2024 regulations claim to provide “equitable” processes but actually codified procedures that guarantee respondent losses.

Panel members receive training that emphasizes “power dynamics” and “toxic masculinity” while never mentioning false accusations except to minimize them. They’re told that requiring corroboration “re-traumatizes victims” but never trained on confirmation bias or tunnel vision. When your panel is trained that believing accusers is social justice while skepticism enables rape culture, evidence doesn’t matter.

The Timeline Trick That Guarantees You Lose

Schools deliberately schedule hearings during finals week or right before graduation. They know you can’t properly prepare while taking exams. They count on you panicking and accepting bad deals rather than risking your degree. If you request postponement for exams, they claim you’re “delaying justice for the complainant.” If you rush to hearing, you’re unprepared.

The new regulations require “reasonably prompt” timeframes but don’t define them. Schools interpret this as fast as possible when it hurts respondents, slow as possible when you need evidence. I’ve seen Georgia Tech take six months to provide camera footage that proved innocence, then demand a hearing three days later claiming “undue delay.” I’ll file federal court injunctions to stop these games and force fair timelines.

What I’ll Do That Your School-Appointed Advisor Won’t

I’ll personally handle your case from investigation through federal lawsuit if necessary. When investigators want to ambush you with surprise interviews, I’ll be there telling them to pound sand until we’re ready. When they refuse to provide evidence, I’ll file OCR complaints that threaten their federal funding. When panel members show bias, I’ll voir dire them on the record to create appealable issues.

Our digital portal gives you access to every document, every strategy memo, every piece of evidence in real-time. While other lawyers charge hourly for phone updates, you see everything as it happens. We’re selective – we only take cases where we can make a difference. If your story doesn’t add up, I’ll tell you straight rather than take your money for a doomed defense.

I don’t just defend the Title IX proceeding – I coordinate with criminal defense attorneys if charges are filed, prepare defamation lawsuits against false accusers, and sue schools for due process violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Your school has unlimited resources and wants you gone. You need someone who fights just as hard for your future.

Call NOW – Before You Make Statements That Destroy Your Defense

212-300-5196

Right now, your school is scheduling an “informal” meeting that’s actually a recorded interrogation. They’re drafting no-contact orders that make you look guilty before investigation. They’re telling your professors you’re under investigation, poisoning your academic relationships. Every hour you wait, they build momentum toward expulsion.

The investigator already has the complainant’s statement, witness lists, and text messages. They’re constructing a narrative where you’re guilty, and they’ll interpret every piece of evidence through that lens. Once that investigative report is written, changing the narrative becomes nearly impossible.

I’m Todd Spodek. I answer my phone at 2 AM when campus police are at your door. I’ll fly to Atlanta within 24 hours to stop your school from railroading you. I’ll fight harder for your future than your university fights to destroy it.

Your education, your career, your reputation – all hanging by a thread while administrators who don’t know you decide your fate. Call 212-300-5196 now, before you become another male student sacrificed to protect federal funding.