Attorney General Mark Herring to replace counsel on sexual assault investigation

Attorney General Mark Herring announced Friday that a new independent counsel will be appointed to lead the investigation into UVA sexual assault policies.

The University had proposed that former federal judge Mark Filip be appointed to lead the investigation, but it was revealed Thursday that Filip, as an undergrad at the University of Illinois, had been a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the center of the allegations raised in a damning Rolling Stone article published this week.

The full statement from Attorney General Herring this morning:

“As the Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence, I deeply understand the seriousness of this issue and am committed to finding ways to improve the climate, policies, and procedures of our colleges and universities. In light of the disturbing events described in this week’s Rolling Stone article, the University has asked me to appoint an independent counsel to review their structure of prevention and response to reports of sexual violence. This is a necessary step and the independence and objectivity of the review must be unimpeachable. Because the University’s proposed candidate, former federal Judge Mark Filip, has a prior affiliation with a chapter of the fraternity described in the Rolling Stone article, the University and I agree that, despite the agreement-in-principle between the University and Judge Filip, another candidate will be selected. This situation is too serious to allow anything to undermine confidence in the objectivity and independence of this review.”