Jun 16, 2008 - 5:43 PM
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Collins was on the losing end of a civil lawsuit filed against him by a woman who claimed the Jayhawk player assaulted her in an elevator by exposing himself and rubbing against her despite demands that he stop, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
Judge Jack Murphy of Douglas County District Courted ruled Collins will responsible for damages in excess of $75,000 to Jessica J. Brown, a former worker at Jayhawker Towers where the incident took place on May 18, 2007.
The exact amount of damages will be decided in a hearing on July 8, the paper reported.
The decision went in Brown's favor due to the fact that Collins failed to file a legal response to the lawsuit, which was filed on May 14. The junior guard was notified of the lawsuit on the same day, according to court records.
However, in a statement released by the university, Collins said that he is innocent of the charges, and did not file a response because he did not understand what he needed to do under the lawsuit.
"I am aware of the allegation and cooperated with the investigation last summer," the guard said in the statement. "I am 100 percent innocent of any inappropriate behavior.
"I was not fully aware of what was expected of me in the civil suit and what my responsibilities were in that matter. I'm sorry and I intended no disrespect to the court. I will do my best to correct this and to prove that this allegation is not true."
According to Brown, she filed the lawsuit because she was no longer able to work at Jayhawker Towers following the incident, and claimed severe emotional pain and mental anguish that incurred medical bills.
No criminal charges were ever filed against Collins, but Brown did file a report with the university's Department of Public Safety.
"This is a very serious allegation that we have not taken lightly," Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. "We were made aware of the allegation over 13 months ago. Sherron fully cooperated with the investigation and maintains that the allegation is false. Based on the information I have received, Sherron has my full support.
"With regards to the civil lawsuit, Sherron has said he didn't fully understand the legal process. While I just became aware of the court's actions, I am very disappointed in the fact that Sherron didn't follow through on his responsibilities regarding the civil suit, I am confident he will work diligently to address this situation."
