Former SU student files lawsuit against university for ‘negligence’ over Conrad Mainwaring assault, abuse

Content note: This article includes mentions of sexual assault.

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A former male Syracuse University student filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the university for negligence, claiming SU ignored signs of predatory behavior by Conrad Mainwaring, then a residence hall deputy director, in the fall of 1982.

Filed under the Adult Survivors Act in New York Federal Court, the lawsuit alleges Mainwaring, a participant in the 1976 Olympics, abused his position of power and trust by sexually assaulting, abusing and molesting the plaintiff and other male students during his time as a “dorm counselor” for Brewster Hall.

The university allegedly received complaints about Mainwaring’s behavior before the plaintiff’s abuse but took no action to stop him from “targeting and abusing” male students. Mainwaring continued to live in the formerly all-male dorm, holding a position of authority over male students while helping the university’s track and field team, the lawsuit states.

“Syracuse’s safe harbor and safe passage for Mainwaring are part of a culture of cover-up and turning a blind eye to complaints of sexual abuse on the Syracuse campus,” the lawsuit states.

Mainwaring, then the deputy director and dorm counselor of Brewster Hall, first met the plaintiff in fall 1982 when he came to campus as a first-year resident of the then-all-male dormitory.

The lawsuit claims Mainwaring, a doctoral candidate, learned his schedule and began stalking him, eventually inviting him to a private office where Mainwaring allegedly offered to help the plaintiff “achieve his hopes and dreams.” The conversation began to shift to discussions of male nudity and genitalia, according to the lawsuit.

Mainwaring allegedly used his knowledge, skills and position of power to repeatedly sexually assault and abuse the plaintiff in Mainwaring’s Brewster Hall apartment, according to the lawsuit.

In the prior school year, Mainwaring allegedly abused another male student in Brewster Hall, who reported the incident to university authorities, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims Mainwaring painted the student as a “pathological liar.” SU did not terminate Mainwaring or take other action, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit argues the university failed to take reasonable steps to prevent Mainwaring’s actions from occurring on campus, claiming that the university “breached its duty of care” to the plaintiff.

A university spokesperson told The Daily Orange the university does not comment on pending litigation, per university policy.

A separate lawsuit filed on Nov. 3 states Mainwaring used force, fear, intimidation and threats to forcibly sexually assault and abuse Plaintiff Stephen Lunney, then a 17-year-old high school student athlete, during his residency on SU’s campus. The lawsuit alleges Mainwaring claimed to mentally train athletes by “massaging the victim’s genitals to make them uncomfortable.”

The Nov. 3 lawsuit also claims SU did not properly screen, interview or take other actions to ensure Mainwaring met qualifications to work with minors and undergraduate students.

Both lawsuits follow others filed since August 2019 against Mainwaring, who has been accused of molesting or abusing at least seven other students during his time on campus and at least 14 men in the greater Syracuse area while he lived there from 1980 to 1985.

The plaintiff in the case filed on Nov. 21 will be represented by FeganScott, a class-action law firm focused on representing victims of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Mainwaring was arrested on felony indecent assault and battery charges in February 2021 for molesting seven boys over seven years at a sports summer camp, ABC News reported.

“By allowing Mainwaring to remain in his position as a dorm counselor and a coach, despite reports of abuse that directly implicated him, Syracuse put hundreds of students in harm’s way,” FeganScott Founding Partner Elizabeth Fegan wrote in a press release Tuesday afternoon. “And by allowing him to quietly leave Syracuse, Syracuse put other young men in harm’s way of this serial predator.”