Liam Donnelly's Conviction by Prejudice: Lessons for Harassment Policy

On May 23, 1997, Simon Fraser University (SFU) fired swim coach Liam Donnelly with cause, for severe sexual harassment. SFU claimed his guilt had been proved by a three-person Investigative Panel which had found him guilty of numerous offenses including having sexually molested a student. Within two months SFU reversed itself, exonerating Donnelly on all the charges, SFU acknowledged problems with both the evidence and the fairness of the procedures.