A male student at Murray State University accused of rape will be able to plead his case to a mediator late this summer. According to Judge James T. Jameson, the upcoming status hearing on September 5^th will be based on whatever comes out of mediation.

Typically, the goal of mediation is to reach a settlement before the case can move forward to trial. It is an effort to resolve the matter more efficiently.

In this case, the defendant is accused of rape in the first degree, as well as second degree unlawful imprisonment from an incident that occurred nearly a year ago in mid-September. According to the alleged victim’s complaint, the defendant went to several bars before returning to his home in the Murry State College Courts complex. The alleged victim claims she was there to retrieve her belongings after the night out. The upcoming mediation will determine if the parties go to trial or if that matter can be settled outside of the courtroom.

The victim claims she told the defendant outright that she did not have an interest in being intimate with him and that she began to gather her belongings and leave when the defendant pushed her onto the bed. She claims she again said she did not want to have sex with the defendant, but he removed her clothes and raped her.

The defendant was indicted by a grand jury that November and has since been out of jail on $10,000 bond. The trial is scheduled to take place in January 2020, if needed.