Lawyer, Elyria Councilman disagree over characterization of old incident

It does not appear that any legal action is imminent after Elyria City Councilman Andrew Lipian exchanged public statements with the lawyer of a former professor that he accused of assault. Lipan, I-1st Ward, is running a write-in campaign as an independent this fall for Lorain County commissioner against incumbent Republican Jeff Riddell and Democratic challenger Carolyn White. Last month, on a Facebook page for his campaign, Lipian stated that some people were attempting to bring a painful incident from his past up to distract from his record and campaign. Lipian wrote that when he was in his mid-20s he was drugged and sexually assaulted by a former University of Michigan professor, whom he did not name in the statement. He said that the case was eventually settled out of court and that the professor was convicted in another state. "I've stood up to powerful institutions before — and I'm still standing — but let me be clear: I won't re-victimize my family by debating deeply personal details online," Lipian wrote in the statement. "The legal record is final. I left my days as a victim behind, and I'm not looking back." On Aug. 23, one week after Lipian made his statement, a Michigan attorney representing the former professor allegedly involved in the incident Lipian mentioned sent a letter to Lipian, several other city officials and The Chronicle-Telegram. The attorney, Francyne Stacey of Troy, Michigan, said that Lipian's account was inaccurate and had been traumatic for her client, whom she did not name. Stacey said that the professor she represented was not a party to Lipian's lawsuit that was settled out of court and that the professor did enter a plea in a Texas case unrelated to Lipian, but that the verdict was deferred and the professor was not formally convicted of anything. A number of UM officials were named as parties to Lipian's lawsuit, which was settled in 2020. Also, she said that a Title IX investigation by the university found that the professor did not sexually harass Lipian. "Mr. Lipian states that he will not 're-victimize' his family by debating personal details online and that 'the legal record is final,'" Stacey wrote. "However, the record does not support the version of events which Mr. Lipian is now circulating, evidently for political purposes. As noted, claims against my client in the Lipian matter were dismissed; moreover, the University's own investigation into Mr. Lipian's allegations did not result in a finding of sexual harassment or assault." Stacey told The Chronicle that she did not plan to file any legal action against Lipian and that her client wanted to put the incident behind him. "I am not sure what Mr. Lipian is trying to accomplish, but if he is going to write about one of my clients, I have an ethical obligation to defend my client from false or misleading statements and omissions," she wrote. "This statement is issued solely to correct the public record. The focus for my client, as it should be for Mr. Lipian, remains on documented facts, not online revisionism." Lipian, who could not be reached last week because he was on duty with the Ohio Air National Guard, said in a statement Monday that he stood by his statement and would not debate the incident in public. "As a young student, I faced a career-field star with unquestionable power over students' futures, and I used a poor coping strategy by playing along to prevent retaliation," Lipian said. "The legal record is final and I stand by my statement. I will not continue to engage in public relations disputes over it. I stand with fellow survivors in seeking truth and accountability — keeping my focus on serving Lorain County through trust, smart development and accessible government." Contact Owen MacMillan at 440-329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.