Attorney General Mark Herring appoints new independent counsel in UVA sexual assault case

This morning, Chief Deputy Attorney General Cynthia Hudson sent a letter to University of Virginia Board of Visitors Rector George Martin informing him that the firm of O’Melveny & Myers will serve as independent counsel to the Board regarding issues of sexual violence at UVA.

The team is expected to include highly qualified and experienced attorneys including Walter Dellinger, Danielle Gray, and Apalla Chopra.

Below is a statement from Attorney General Mark Herring regarding the appointment of independent counsel:

“The University of Virginia community and all Virginians have been stunned by the horrific story Rolling Stone brought to light, as well as the apparent inadequacy of the University’s response to this and other past reports of sexual violence. Charlottesville Police have been asked to handle any criminal investigations into this specific attack, but all other aspects of campus sexual violence, including how school officials handled this case, will be thoroughly and independently scrutinized. I have made it clear this will be an aggressive and consequential investigation and review. The safety of our students is too important to accept anything less than a full accounting of what happened and bold ideas to ensure that no student suffers the unimaginable trauma of sexual violence or the injustice of an inadequate institutional response.”