Notre Dame Hit With Second Sex Assault Complaint

Feb. 18, 2011— -- Notre Dame University has been hit for a second time in recent months with accusations that it failed to properly investigate an allegation from a young woman that one of its students sexually assaulted a young woman.

The charge is particularly sensitive for Notre Dame, one of the country's most prestigious Catholic universities, because the school is still reeling from the suicide of Elizabeth Seeberg. Seeberg was a 19-year-old student at neighboring St. Mary's College who killed herself Sept. 10, 2010, after Notre Dame did not aggressively pursue her sexual assault complaint, her family has said.

The Seeberg family issued a statement to ABC News today saying "Notre Dames' investigatory process has failed another young woman entrusted to its care."

Both incidents occurred around the same period. Seeberg claimed she was molested Aug. 31 and committed suicide 10 days later.

The new accusation claims another St. Mary's student was sexually assaulted on Sept. 4. According to St. Joseph County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak, the woman reported the attack to police within 24 hours, went to a hospital for a rape kit, and met there with Notre Dame police.

At the hospital she was also met by a sexual assault victim's advocate and a nurse trained in sexual assault protocols.

The student, whose name was not released, met again with Notre Dame police on Sept. 11 -- the day after Seeberg's suicide -- at which time she told police she wanted to press charges.

But this past week Dvorak's office told the young woman and her family that it would not proceed with a prosecution because of a lack of evidence.

That decision has angered the student's family. The woman's father told the Chicago Tribune that he had met with the university's president and police to plead for a prosecution.

"I'm involved in this because I love Notre Dame and I don't want to see this happen again," he told the newspaper. "Notre Dame has done so much good over the years, but I think there's an issue that needs to be corrected."

The woman, who admits she had been drinking before the alleged assault, told the Tribune that she felt the police were protecting the university instead of her.