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Former Myers Park HS student drops lawsuit against CMS over reported rape

CHARLOTTE — A former Myers Park High School student who said she was raped on campus dropped her federal lawsuit against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Serena Evans filed a notice of dismissal this month.

It comes less than a year after she filed the suit, which claimed the district violated her rights under Title IX.

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Evans claims another student raped her inside of a Myers Park High bathroom in 2016.

She spoke during a rally in 2021 and said when she reported the incident, administrators tried to keep it quiet.

“We were also told if we were to go through with an investigation and my rapist was found not guilty, I would be suspended because the rape occurred in the boys’ bathroom,” she said then.

The Observer reports a trial date in the suit was set for next year after settlement talks weren’t successful.

Evans’ former attorney said she has a year to find new counsel and refile the lawsuit if she wants.

Earlier this year, a federal jury cleared CMS of any wrongdoing in a similar lawsuit involving another former Myers Park High student. That student accused the district of mishandling her rape claims back in 2015.

Jurors ruled CMS did not have to pay damages because the district didn’t violate her Title IX rights. She is appealing the verdict.

(WATCH BELOW: Former Myers Park HS student sues district for failing to prevent her sex assault)