Allegations regarding a December altercation that took place on Professor's Row will be heard at the Somerville County Courthouse on Monday, court officials confirmed yesterday. Tufts senior Edward Lee - who suffered severe injuries from the incident - has filed assault and battery charges against junior Joseph Orji, according to Lee attorney Jean Laroque.
Three students- Orji, Lee and senior Eric Lindsey - also faced University disciplinary action related to the incident. Orji has not returned phoned requests for comment and Lee has declined to discuss the case, deferring questions to his attorney. Lindsey and Orji were both members of the football team in 2000.
According to the Dean of Students Office - which declined to confirm the names of the students - a student later identified by the Daily to be Lee was repeatedly kicked in the head and stomach, and was punched in the face, suffering substantial injuries.
The fight escalated from verbal confrontations that took place on the night of the incident, witnesses say. Lee and Orji - both with friends - had encountered each other earlier on the night in question, engaging in a loud argument.
"It was a matter of people being drunk and stupid," said one witness who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Witnesses differ on exactly how the fight started, but all said that Lindsey - whether on purpose or by accident - punched Lee in the face. After Lee dropped to the ground, Orji allegedly kicked him, forming the basis for the charges.
Lindsey, Lee, and Orji all went before a Dean of Students Office panel made up of members of the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) and the faculty. Lindsey waived his right to a hearing and was sentenced to Level Two Probation for his role in the altercation. Orji requested a hearing, which resulted in a semester-long suspension. His appeal was denied unanimously by the Committee on Student Life. Lee was found guilty of public intoxication and harassment. Since he was already on Level Two Probation, he was also suspended for the semester. Lee's suspension was reversed by the CSL on appeal, and he remains on Level Two Probation.
The Dean of Students Office confirmed each charge but would not release any names. Orji's hearing for assault will be held on Monday at Somerville County Courthouse.
